Who Cares

Last year I was on retreat with our Alpha National Team in sunny Sarasota Florida. As a rookie missionary I soon learned that the word retreat in ministry, does not necessarily mean hanging out together with God, quiet time, or solitude. This was a working retreat and we were pretty busy working together in teams from the time we arrived, till the time we left.

One very profound moment for me was on Sunday morning, when I heard a sermon that contained the story of the founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth. William received a vision from God. It was a vision of Christians going about their business resting, relaxing and enjoying life safely on the shore, while 1000's who did not yet know Christ, were sometimes only an arms length away drowning in a stormy sea. The Christians ignored them, and many met their peril. This God given vision drove the man in His calling and mission for the rest of his life. This picture is sort of a modern rendition of his dream.

This story had a profound impact on me. I began to ask myself, do you notice people? Do you make time to notice those the Lord has placed around you every day? Are you willing to make time, to turn aside, to reach out, to pull someone who is drowning to shore? Or are you to busy doing Christian things to see those who are still in the water? Do you pray for them, make time for them, invite them? Or do you let them drown?
I saved this picture so that I could look at it often to remind myself of what our mission is while we are here on earth. Its an urgent mission and I pray that I never get too busy doing Christian things, to hear, to see, to notice, to love, to go. Who cares?

 ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
   And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”Isaiah 6:8