It started with a feeling,
That I was missing something.
It moved to a decision,
A decision for something more.
I was talking to my teammates this past week about the Kony 2012 movement. How all of a sudden, you see his name, his face, his story everywhere. It flooded our facebook pages, the paraphernalia raided our conversations. Many of my friends this past week attended an event put on by this organization. And I am sure he was mentioned.
We all have this undeniable feeling. This feeling deep deep down inside our very essence that we are just missing something. That there is more than mundane school or work. That there is more than just this ‘church thing.’ We want to help the world. We have some sense that even from thousands of miles away, we are supposed to care about the pain inflicted in this society.
And here is how I know. All of a sudden, Invisible Children gave us a reason. They gave us a passion. Something to fulfill that emptiness inside our soul that longs for something deeper and better than life.
My friends, Christian and non-Christian alike, jumped on the bandwagon to stop Kony from their comfortable American living room.
And maybe Kony will be stopped this year. Maybe all the injustice he inflicted on children and the countries in Eastern and Central Africa will be reversed and those children and families will live in peace again. They won’t live in fear any longer.
I hope and pray for these things.
But here is the thing, in a few months the Kony fad will be over. And you will be back where you were before it all started.
Empty.
Because Kony is not going to fill the void. Helping children in Africa is not going to heal your heart.
I don’t tell you this because I want you to stop caring about injustice- I tell you this because I thought caring about the world would heal me.
I thought caring for these orphans, loving prostitutes would heal my own heart. I thought that my purpose in life was to serve others. To be a ‘good missionary.’
But let me tell you- doing good hasn’t fulfilled me.
We can chase injustice around in a circle, we can ‘fix world problems’ but all the while we miss the point.
Jesus.
Jesus heals, Jesus loves, and Jesus wants you to fight injustice.
But don’t miss the point- know that your desire for more, it is what you were made for.
You were made to have your heart broken for the children in Uganda and the Congo. You were made to cry when you hear about 6 year olds being sold into the sex trade.
You were made to love and honor Jesus with your whole heart.
I want you to fight injustice, I want you to love the oppressed.
But instead of making the name Kony famous,
Make the name of Jesus famous.
Make the concept of unconditional love famous.
Then go change the world.
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An extra note for my Christian friends:
Most of you already know Jesus is the healer of our hearts, so here is my challenge for you. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us to “Go and make disciples.”
Here is a challenge I know you might not want to hear, making disciples doesn’t mean reposting a youtube video, it doesn’t mean supporting missionaries from your couch. Making disciples means going out and loving, living and giving of yourself.
You don’t have to go to all nations to make disciples- do it today.
