Think About It

The other day I was eating at one of those all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants.   About the time I got seated a bus load of people came in and occupied the section next to mine.   A few minutes into my meal I overheard two servers talking about how they were the only ones on that side of the restaurant.   While they seemed a little annoyed, they also talked about what this should say about the faith management had in them … they were good enough to handle it.   The interesting thing about this is that this was the last I heard from these two employees.   They never checked on me, cleared my dirty dishes or filled my empty drink glass.   Thankfully I could get my own food, but my self-service was the only service I received.   Now, I am not complaining; rather, this incident got me to thinking about us as Christians.   How often do we tell people how much we care … about the work we can do … about how much of a difference our message can make in the world, but never get around to doin

         When we look out into modern society, what do we see?   I would like to say that what I see is a world full of potential and possibility, but sometimes the things that catch my attention aren’t all that inspiring.   When I assess the world it is easy for me to spot the loneliness, the addictions, the homeless and the helplessness.   Now, while this can be distressing, I do find a little bit of comfort in the fact that I am in good company.   You see, that is what Jesus saw when He looked at those who surrounded Him.   In describing Jesus’ thoughts on His life and times Matthew observes, “ Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. ” (Matthew 9:36).   While it would be easy to stop here and pretend to commiserate with Jesus, that’s not where Jesus’ statement ends.   As Jesus assessed the human condition, He saw it as a chance to make a difference when He told His disciples, “The harvest is plentif