I received a notice today from a friend of mine. She is involved with a new non-profit called the Greenhouse Project. This organization is based through an orphanage in Uganda, striving to survive in a country that has been torn apart by civil wars for longer than these children have been alive. They are using funds from an art grant to go to Africa, teach the kids art, bring back those pieces that the children create, and sell them as support to keep this safe haven alive. For some, it is a chance to have their voice heard in a world that seems determined to shut them up.
As soon as I saw that my friend was still raising funds, I asked my husband how much we could send. I wrote the check in that same sitting. I am so proud of her heart. She has a heart for those who need help and she is doing something about it.
That is Christianity at work. My friend taking the summer to assist and determine where the need is in this orphanage is a step of faith. She is being the salt of the earth and light in a dark world.
“Christian” has quickly become an adjective as opposed to the verb that it is. How we can sit around as the world crumbles on all fronts is beyond me. I suppose this is why I find myself at such peace right now. I don’t have a job, I live in an apartment complex whose prices raise significantly each year, etc…there is a plethora of “stuff” that I could easily allow to drown me in sorrow, worry, and depression. But I have my hope in Jesus my Lord. I have a home. My husband has a good job. We are blessed to have friends and family who love and care for us. Even our puppy brings a smile to the faces of the passersby as he appears to always have one on his. Now, I have a friend who I have seen go through the trenches, also known as high school, and has come out, a semester from graduating college with a degree in theology, and has focused on others–loving and caring for those who are considered unlovable.
That is peace.
I joke about the unrest in Israel, asking my family if they are ready to go home. They smile and say ‘better believe it.’ How about you? Each one of you has a choice. Choose Jesus or Choose hell for eternity. Jesus=peace, hell=well, hell, eternal suffering and unrest. Simple choice, simple answer. The unrest, the deteriorating of morals and of “Christians” standing for tolerance rather than Jesus and the Bible…it is a very clear sign of the second coming of Jesus.
But for anyone who has not made the choice for Jesus, beware, in the twinkling of an eye, he will be here and gone. When you go to work or to school and see the empty chairs, the missing people, you can no longer say that you were never warned.
Jesus is coming and this time, the devil is going to be allowed to take over and put hell on earth-unlike any destruction and misery that you can ever imagine. I would suggest choosing the peace now, but that is just my opinion.
