God's Upside-Down Economy

This is what God does. He gives his best — the sun to warm and the rain to nourish — to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

~ Matthew 5:45-47, The Message.

I read the above verses during my morning devotions yesterday... and it made me continue my reflection on what it truly means to live out the greatest of commandments... the practice of Love {an appropriate topic to focus on during this month of love, don't you think?}... the choice that we as Christ-followers must choose.

So, what does it mean to truly love? 
This video illustrates it very well...

I've known about Katie Davis and Amazima Ministries for a while now. My girl did her Grade 9 English Independent Study Unit on Katie Davis' book Kisses from Katie... an incredible story of one young woman following God's heart!

But yesterday was the very first time I saw Katie Davis on video... and, the video made her real to me. Suddenly, she's not just a young woman who's a character in a storybook or someone I read about on blogs anymore... but actually a real flesh-and-blood person.

A young lady... who, when she started this whole journey of serving God in Uganda, was only 16 years old. At a tender age of 16, Katie Davis chose the upside-down economy of God! She chose to please her Heavenly Father over pleasing her earthly father. 

Sixteen... my girl turns 15 in just a week's time... sixteen is only a year away!

As I watched the video... tears came. I previewed the video once again just now and I'm emotional all over again. I had to ask myself, "Why the tears?" 

I try to convince myself that I'm crying because I'm moved by Katie Davis' courage and her boldness. But deep down inside I know the source of my tears. I am thinking of my girl... thinking what if... what if she chooses, at a tender age of 16, to forgo a university degree? To move to Uganda and care for orphans? Or some other radical choice like that? Would I be okay with that?!? Would I really be?

Would I stand by what hubby and I say that we teach and model to our kids each day... that is "to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God"... would I?

To be quite honest, I'm struggling... struggling because I know what the right answer should be... but I don't even want to picture the scenario of my children choosing to live out the greatest of commandments so radically like that.

I am confronted anew by the reality of my addiction, the addiction to comfort... to giving just enough and loving just enough and letting go of just enough... so as not to hamper my comfortable life. I am also reminded of my fight, the fight to stay away from that middle ground, that comfortable place where it is so easy to settle down.

Shane Claiborne, in his book The Irresistible Revolution, says this:

We are not just called to be candles. Candles make for nice Christmas services and for a nice peace vigil. They can remind us that God's light dwells within us and that we are to shine that light in this dark world. But we are not just called to be candles. We are called to be fire. Candles can be snuffed out by the slightest wind or by the smallest child on their birthday. But it's harder to put out a fire. We are to be fire, to weave our lives together so that the Spirit's inferno of love spreads across the earth.

~ The Irresistible Revolution, page 352.

This is exactly where God's grace enters the picture. 

Because it is truly only by grace... that we can become a people radically living out the greatest of commandments... to be ordinary radicals... to love radically... to be fire, not candles... for me to be okay if my girl {or my boy} chooses to serve God in Africa one day! Oh, help me God...

We can love all.
A love revolution...
Seeing the One we love in everyone.

Change takes real intentionality, like a woman bent over her flower beds every day with a spade and the sure determined will to grow up something good to strengthen the heart.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

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I promise you will be blessed!

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!