By Andrew Lang
Recently, I was in a car accident and what struck me (days after the mishap) was how quickly my church family was there to check in on me and to help our family with our needs. We didn’t have to advertise it or ask for help; it was just there. I was so moved by how caring and generous the people in my community were to my family. I had more phone calls checking in on me than from my direct family, which is not a dig on my family; it’s just a sign of how invested the church community is.
There’s a saying that “people don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” If I am trying to minister to people or share God’s love with them, they don’t care what I say until they sense that I care about them as people. Then they can start to care about what I am trying to convey. It reminds me of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. -1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Inside the cover of this issue of Hopelines, you’ll find some of the most loving and caring people I know. I think it’s because of the way that they demonstrate God’s love to others that makes this ministry work. I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where, even though we were “right” or had the correct answers, we still did damage to a person or the situation because we weren’t going about it in the best way. If we don’t show love to others in how we do things, we end up gaining nothing and we tarnish the Gospel message. As a community of believers, we want to be known for our love for others.
The love that my church family showed made me want to be on the lookout for ways I could repay or serve those in the community. Once people internalize that love and choose to follow Jesus, they will go into the world and share that love from God in an amazing way.
Just as I experienced Christ’s love through my church, I pray you will be able to experience His love through those around you as well. (Hopefully you don’t have to get into a car accident to notice it!). Thank you for continually supporting our staff and associates in prayer and resources. You are empowering them to share God’s love in some incredible ways. Thank you for being an integral part of our ministry here at LHNM.
