WORK AND FAMILY
Live So Others May Flourish
5.27.07
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Article:
Imagine you entered a concert hall where a symphony orchestra sat ready to play, but half of the members had their hands tied behind their backs. You’d know something was terribly wrong. Surely the conductor doesn’t expect to perform the symphony with only half an orchestra.
In our world, God—the great Conductor—frees all of us to use our abilities in a symphony of service to Christ and our neighbor. Yet many people in God’s world today are bound by fear or circumstances. They need encouragement. They need opportunities to develop the good gifts that God has bestowed on them. Unless leaders free them to flourish, many people remain trapped and unproductive.
Jesus came upon a man who was literally bound by chains and crying out in despair (you can read the story in Mark 5:1-20). The whole town knew this man could never become what God intended him to be without dramatic help. They must have hoped for someone like Jesus to set the man free. In fact, once our Lord liberated that man, he began a ten-city tour on behalf of Jesus. His abilities were unchained.
This would be a touching story with a happy ending, except for one thing. This man's freedom wound up costing the farmers in that area a small fortune: 2,000 of their pigs died. It is sobering to listen to the reaction of the crowd after seeing what it cost them to set one man free: ". . . the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region."
We like to think that we would rejoice to see Jesus' power used to help others become what God intends them to be. But what if it costs us a lot to make this possible? Are we ready to see our annual income—our standard of living—lowered so that others might thrive? That question confronted a group of women who were following Jesus. In Luke 8:3, we read that "these women were helping to support Jesus and the disciples out of their own means." In order to give others a chance to do what they were called to do, these women now had less money for their own families. No longer could they afford the biggest house, the best vacations, or the latest technology.
You can just hear their kids, "But mom, everyone has papyrus scrolls now, I'll just die if I have to keep using these clay tablets."
To allow one person to follow a passion in work, my whole family may need to tighten its belt. Or maybe it's worse than that. To free mom to use her abilities outside the home, we may all have to do more housework! Eventually, like the women who supported the early disciples, our family can make sacrifices so others—poor urban kids in our town or Third World people with fantastic abilities but zero chances to develop them—can live out all that God has put into them.
It’s our choice. We don't have to be like those villagers who asked Jesus to leave them alone so many years ago. We can live in a way that sets others free. We can help others experience the joy of living out the high calling of their daily work.
READER'S COMMENTS
Caught on the national news, and programming, last evening two 'stories': one was the effect that making more ethanol fuel was having on our food supply costs. With corn "diverted" to ethanol production, makes it more scarce for food supply, i.e. not only ears of corn to eat, but fructose production, animal feed, etc. This scarcity has caused all those items to go up in price. So the need for cheaper fuel has caused the cost of eating to go up.
The other 'story' was a special, with Willie Nelson hosting, on the fact that small farmers .... around the world... are being 'squeezed out' by the economics of big farming. And the effect that has had on immigration from Mexico to the U.S. Then, the ripple effect that has on all farmers in the U.S. Finally, the failed Trade Agreements that amplify the problems of "food production" world-wide.
To me, both illustrate what our failure to 'do the Christ-inspired thing'.... to give up some of what I have for the good of others... can ripple out to cause global issues like Global Warming, food price increases, etc.
It seems that a wise 'bottom line' attitude of living one day at a time, sacrificially ... sharing with others... continues to be the BEST answer we need to hear again. Like it was the "first time" !
Great truths....... the below is a portion of what I shared from a book I reviewed ..
Luke 15:11-13 The Prodigal Son
The Bible tells us God's ways not being our ways. And the author realized, the prize is not really money, cars, or VIP seats. That's not the prize. The prize is close relationship. God has enough to love everybody.
Angela
May I call this "Costly answers to our prayers"? We really must be ready to offer our lives, resources, time etc to God to help answer our prayers. Hannah had Samuel when she offered her womb to nurture a priest to replace the errant sons of Eli. She must have grieved at how sacrifices and offerings of God were being defiled and cried "Oh May God give us better Priests in Israel" As she prayed more and more about this, she got to a point where she offered the son she so much wanted for herself to God for life. That was costly for her but God paid back with three sons and two daughters.
Hannahs's story is an encouragement for us today never to look back when God calls us to make a sacrifice of our resources and even our lives. Everyone has something unique to offer. Somebody's colt was available for Christ's triumphal entry. Another had a house prepared to host the last supper. Simon of cyrene was around to carry the cross and Joseph of Arimathea had the grave ready. We have the service of teaching our children to know this principle and to encourage them with the fact that God always pay back generously.
Ade, I always enjoy your insightful comments. It struck me that we don't except our prayers to cause us difficulty more often. Prayer is certainly about more than just our material comfort.
And what better place to be prepared to serve God than in our daily family life and daily work and daily relationships.