A FALSE IMPRESSION
“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Luke 14: 23
King James Version
The owner of the trailer park where I live keeps the grass mowed so that it looks appealing for the people who are coming to look at the trailers for rent. However, looks can be deceiving. Yes, the grass looks appealing and the trailers that are for rent have been cleaned and look nice for the prospective tenants. The sad thing is that many times after the people rent the trailers and something needs repairing, often the repairs are not made for several weeks.
What a sad commentary it is on those of us who claim to be Christians because there are times that the same thing is true in our churches. We have revivals. We go on visitation. We have Vacation Bible School and other events to get people to come to church. However, many times after the people join the church they are neglected as we try to attract more people to our churches.
Something that really hurts me and breaks my heart is the condition of some of the children who come to Vacation Bible School. Many of these children come from broken homes. Sometimes there are loud arguments between their parents that many times turns into violence in their homes that the children are forced to hear and see. Some of these children don’t have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.
Yet there are times that we are guilty of building larger churches to hold more people instead of using that money to feed these precious children. It is nice to have large churches to hold a lot of people and we do need to build them. However, we must first feed the children. We must feed them not only spiritually but we must also feed them physically and emotionally. Some of these precious children never receive love and hugs from their parents. They don’t even know what real love is. It is very important and also urgent that we hug these children.
It is only by our hugs and our smiles that these children will know that Jesus loves them and cares about them. How would we feel when Jesus comes back for us if He were to look at us with tears in His eyes and say to us “Why didn’t you hug these children? Why was building larger churches more important to you than feeding these children?” We wouldn’t be able to look at Him because we would have to hang our heads in shame.
I have received several emails over the last three and a half years from people who have said they feel that the people at church do not care what happens to them. I know that this is true because it has happened to me.
When I was able to go to church, everyone was friendly to me and acted like they really cared about me. However, I have been unable to attend church for over three years due to my arthritis and Sundays are very difficult for me because I miss going to church and singing with the congregation.
I have called many churches and asked for someone to call me or visit me at least twenty times in the last three years but nobody has ever called me or come to visit me. They gave me a false impression. They acted like they really cared about me but when it comes to proving that they care about me, they have failed.
Yet we should not criticize or judge people who say they care but don’t back it up with their actions because you and I are just as guilty as they are. None of us are perfect and it is time that we stop judging others. It is time that we start hugging these precious children so that they will not only hear about the love of Jesus; they will also feel the love of Jesus.
Joanne Lowe
September 15, 2008
