Because He First Loved Us

There are stories, heartbreakingly disturbing, real stories, about people born and raised in North Korean concentration camps. Many of these people grow up with no love influencing them. Son turns against mother to fight for food. The only instinct is to fight to survive. (If you are interested in helping the North Korean people fight against the demonic corruption that has plagued their leadership for decades, I suggest checking out "Liberty in North Korea." )

We are born depraved, naturally bent towards seeking our own interests. We need love and if we do not have it, we die . . . a literal, moral, and spiritual death. I was fortunate to be born into a family who loves and cares for me well. A family who showed me that God's love is even greater than theirs. I could just have easily been born into a concentration camp, consumed by fear and never knowing love.

"There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us."

I love God because He first loved me. I love others because my family first loved me. If I had not seen their example, how could I know love? How could I show love?

What does any of this have to do with my experience in Mexico?

Beth Guckenberger, co-founder of Back2Back, describes it well in her book Relentless Hope. She says: "when I talk to our mission teams about the children we serve I often quote Beth Moore's illustration (originally told by Gilda Radner) of the pregnant dog that was hit by a car and lost her hind legs. She learned to get around by using her front two legs and dragged her behind on the ground. When her puppies were born, they came out with four fully functioning legs, but all of them in their first few weeks chose instead to walk like their mother and drag their rears behind them. When I share that story, I remind our guests the children we serve are often simply modeling their only example. That's not an excuse for any problems they might have, such as poor performance in school, or aggressive behavior, or a tendency to lie but instead it's a motivator for us to engage in their lives. We need to be another example and show them what it's like to run on the four proverbial legs God has given them."

I am here in Mexico right now to help model God's unchangeable, crazy, obsessive love for us.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God knew very well that a lot of us would turn from Him and not accept His sacrifice for our sins. And yet He still provided a way (even for all the sickeningly bad dictators in the world--WHAT?!?!?) anyway. It's a love that most people would call stupid. But for me, it is a beautiful mystery.

My mind is slowly making a parallel here.

This crazy, obsessive, doesn't-matter-who-you-are-or-what-you-do-I-will-always-choose love is accessible for Christ-followers to tap into.

Some of these people Back2Back is ministering to in Mexico have not been loved well. Some, frankly, have not been loved at all. But we have the opportunity to love them with a love that knows no bounds.

Because God first crazy-loved ME.

Can you see the domino effect yet? The revolution of love has been going on for thousands of years and so often I am blind to it!

If we are motivated by Jesus' love when we serve others, we are introducing people to the love that made us capable of love in the first place! How great, how awesome, how wonderful is that love, that turned us away from ourselves and brought the hope of heaven to earth.

Praises:

• Fulfilling work -- I get to do so many things that I love on a daily basis
• Getting to know the awesome staff -- I feel so blessed to be able to work with such loving, passionate people. 
• 40 kids came to a program at Tres Reyes the other day when only 2 kids had come several weeks previous. The Bazaar must have got the word out to a lot of people! Hurray!

Prayer Requests:

• Healing for my voice that is halfway gone. Not good since I'm leading worship every night. I think I am coming down with a cold. Thankfully Tuesdays we do not have worship, so I have not had to use my voice very much today. 
• 3 interns leave Thursday, pray for their safe return and for them to know how to apply what they have learned here in Mexico back home!
• 3 new interns arrive Thursday, including my friend Rachel who also goes to Taylor University and went with me on my first Back2Back mission trip, pray for safety and good preparation!
• What to do after this internship?????????? Pray for wisdom in this area.