Speech- Jordan Strange

In our lives, what we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others remains and is immortal. As people, we are called to serve and to love. To love God and to love God’s people. As a strong Christian, I firmly believe that there is nothing greater in this world than an unconditional, unfathomable love, a love which can only come from God. This love brings hope. This love saves people. This love is everlasting. “The call of missions is to love Jesus in such a way that you don’t need a specific event or place to witness but that from a heart desiring to see humanity saved, we live every single moment committed to being witnesses of [Love] and its transforming power.” (Unknown) With a love as strong as this, we should devote our futures to serving other people in our home, in our community, and around the world.

                As people, despite why we think we’re here and the beliefs that we have, there are people in this world that are hurting. And we, because of human nature, hurt for these people. We want to help them, yet somewhere along the way, we’ve made it the churches and the missionaries’ responsibility instead of taking the initiative ourselves. We watch as people take time and money out of their lives to devote themselves wholly to serving other people. As teenagers, we sometimes feel like we’re forced to live this life filled with education and employment and a college degree and we’re stuck in a pit where we can’t see past our own needs and problems. We care too much about the opinions of other people, and we fail to recognize that there are hurting, dying people in this world that need a hope and a Love so much stronger than any they’ve ever seen before. There are so many organizations that see a need in the world and do something about it. We should be able to one: see, two: care, and three: do. We need to see the need, care about the need, and do something about the need. I got a call 2 days ago from a man named Moses. I met him while in Africa this past summer. He has given up everything. He has no money, no education, and no family. But he has a Love so strong that surpasses all worldly things, which has allowed him this opportunity to serve other people in ways we can’t even imagine. In the Bible, in Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul writes to us, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” Christ showed us compassion and love, and whether or not you believe in any religion, we should still be able to show love and compassion to the hurting people all around us. Whether in a grocery store or on a street in America or halfway across the globe in a foreign country walking along a trash covered dirt road, there will always be suffering people. Whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually suffering, they are hurting and need to be served. As humans, we long to be loved. We long for that feeling of comfort and hope. So what is keeping us from sharing this Love and serving other people?

            As high schoolers, we are stuck in this day-to-day life where we’re constantly working and trying to finish the long list of things that have to be completed before the next day. It’s hard to look to the future when some days we can’t see past the end of school, let alone a single class period. But take a second and think. You have between 4 and 6 years, some less and some more,  depending on what you’re doing with life, before you’re on your own, starting a career, getting married, doing those scary adult things. You have countless opportunities. Peace Corps send out Americans abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. (www.peacecorps.gov) The World Race sends people out for 9-12 months to 3-12 different countries.  They believe there is “a generation of radicals whose heartbeat is to see a changed world. It’s a generation that’s dissatisfied with the status quo and is actively rising to the challenge of seeing the world transformed through tangible expressions of Love.” (www.worldrace.org) Thinking Beyond Borders. Their program is designed for students who are passionate about learning and are eager to create meaningful social change in the world. This is only 3 of many programs. Each with a purpose of fulfilling a need. Whatever need it may be, most likely, it has caused hurt in a community. Every day is a gift and God did not give us this gift so we could wallow and drift into a seat of selfishness. We buy into the American dream of money and fame and success and we fail to recognize that this life could be stripped away from us in an instance. Every day, we have a choice, a choice to love, or a choice to keep on living like we do in our selfish world that couldn’t care less about the hurting people in this world.

Pastor and theologian Carl Lentz, in a sermon about Christianity tells us, “There were no streets that Jesus Christ did not impact; If you were poor, Jesus was coming for you, If you were rich, Jesus was not afraid of you; If you were a leper, Jesus was laying down with you until you got well; If you were an outcast, Jesus spent his whole life reminding people that He came for you.” (Lentz) Jesus showed this Love to everyone, no matter what race, no matter how poor, no matter what condition they were in. And we should see the compassion that Christ had when he died for us, and show that same compassion and that same love to everyone. There is no excuse for not reaching every single person in this world. “There should be no campus, there should be no prison, there should be no back ally, there should be no ghetto, and there should be no village that has not heard the goodness of our God.” (Lentz)  We can show this love everywhere we go.

            There are many factors that play into missions and service that make it seem difficult to reach out to the world. Money is the biggest of these issues. It costs thousands of dollars alone to get to the country, nevertheless sustain yourself there and have all the materials needed to complete a given task. For some people, this issue is larger than others. This issue comes down to the fact that cost does not matter. If you are called to serve in another country, you will be supported. We can trust in this Love that is so strong that the funds will be provided. If you are called to serve right where you live? That is beautiful. Because no matter where we are, we still all have that world changing capability to love and to serve others, no matter what the cost. Some say that if we take a gap year or devote our lives to a long term service project, then we’ll fall behind in education and in other aspects of life. But what we need to focus on is that it is to the benefit of other people that we fully surrender everything to God, letting Him control everything. And if that means that we lose a job, a relationship, or our prefect fairytale life that we’ve built up till this point? So be it. Love will lead us down a path of compassion and hope like we’ve never experienced before.

            We need to live our lives powerfully, and that may require being different from this world and standing out despite what society thinks. James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Christianity is a religion of concern for others, and it’s about time we take steps towards consistently loving people. Whether this means a gap year, a short term mission trip, or simply loving every single person you see each day, we should be committed to being witnesses of Love and its transforming power. So, you can either make a living, or make a difference.

Works Cited

              Christ, Jesus. The Holy Bible. New York: Arno, 1968. Print.

“Thinking Beyond Borders: Choosing Your Gap Year.” Thinking Beyond Borders, N.p., 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Becchetti, Noel. “Center for Student Missions.” CSM Article: Why Most Mission Trips Are A Waste Of Time.” 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Occupy Your Street. Perf. Carl Lentz. 2015. Sermon.

Comment Card, Arusha, Tanzania. Personal Photograph by author. 2015.