Peace makers in a troubled world

If you have watched the world news at all, you know that a lot of very troubling things are occurring across the world and in our very own country. A shooting in a church in the south, escaped convicts that could be anywhere by now, and the epidemic of terrorism that quietly hides in our backyards, waiting for its call to perform. Add unemployment, drugs, immoral behavior and corrupt leaders and we have the recipe for major fear.

With all that said you are probably ready to run for the hills and hide out for a while. You would be justified in that thinking. There are some that might say that if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. There is also some truth in that statement. But, I want to focus on those that are standing and fighting for what they believe in, for what they have been called to do.

Before I talk about them though, I need to say that just a couple of people cannot fix all these problems. I know that, but I also know that a few dedicated, heart driven servants can change a few lives. Servants you say? Yes, servants of your fellow neighbor, you serving others unconditionally.

Over the weekend, we found ourselves on an impromptu road trip. We ended up at a friend’s house that has taken up a cause. The cause is drug abuse in young men’s lives. They have opened their home to those who need drastic help. Their mission is to take in these broken and thrown-away young men from many different circumstances and give them a stable, loving place to get over their addictions and learn hard work and feel what family and true caring feels like. They are reminded daily that they are not alone on their recovery. They serve others as they build their own lives back up. We met a few young men whose stories are as heartbreaking as a story on television but you would never know it. They are working towards their goals and have smiles on their faces as they go. But this is not a column about them, either.

The couple who had this vision, which is now a reality, are from the same streets that these young men used to get high on. They were addicts themselves and are now serving. They have opened their home and their hearts. They are doing the work others would turn their nose up at or would be fearful of. It has not been an easy transition from user to helper, but with faith, love, hope and a faithful church they are seeing results. It says in a Book somewhere that sometimes God will use the most unlikely person to get His message across to the rest of us. That resonates with me daily as we, (our CORE team) prepare to start a service for the hurting ourselves. (More on that later)

So what am I saying here? Well, sometimes we see a cause that needs fighting, or we hear about an injustice that needs correcting or we even see a hurting person that just needs a helping hand. Are we just going to pretend we did not see it, or are we going to act? Will you extend your hand, or will you pull away? What would our Maker think, what would he do? I personally have seen in the last few months hurting people, kids mostly, who are in desperate need of just stability. They need a place of peace. I am willing to bet you have too.

Yes, the world seems to be spinning out of control and we are on this crazy ride. So are we going to hide our heads in the sand and wait till all the scary things go away, or are we going to stand strong on what we believe and reach out our hands, gripping the broken digits of the helpless and show them that there is hope and peace? Yes, we can stand together and help those who are hurting. Unlikely servants. Yes, but ones willing to do what is needed.