Who can you share the Light with?

Yesterday I shared that our pastor came to the house to bless us with serving Mike communion since he can't get to church. Our pastor LOVES politics. LOVES politics. His wife was a relative of Mark Hatfield and they've been back to DC several times, to the Capital, and a few other places. He doesn't bring politics to the pulpit, but you can talk to him about it all day long anywhere else. As I opened the door yesterday, I eyed him and said, "Ok, we are good? No angst or concerns?" He just smiled. Our pastor is one of the most genuinely peaceful people I've met. He shared with us his background yesterday and all he EVER wanted to be, as far back as he could remember, is a pastor. He is rare because nearly all pastors have gone down a different road before they devoted their lives to the ministry. He started serving the Lord in grade school, then junior high, then high school, and beyond. The ministry was IT. And he's perfectly suited for it.

I peppered him with all sorts of political and spiritual questions and he patiently answered them for me. I love politics, too. It's endlessly fascinating. But then he said something that was so true. "Had Romney won, we'd have gotten lazy again. This will keep us on our toes because we know what's coming, and we know what we have to do."

Remember 9/11? Immediately flags were everywhere. Churches were filled to the rafters. He said our church saw about a week of attendant surge. It didn't take long for it to die down and the flags were pulled in and once again, Starbucks drive thru's were busy again. Americans are good, and you can hate me for saying this, but Americans are lazy. As long as we have a scintilla of fat in our lives, we get lazy. Truth hurts! You can bet had Romney been elected we'd all go back into our "me" comas.

We CANNOT be lazy. Now is the time that we need to work hard. Not just to feed our family and keep the lights on, but we are going to have to reach out. How well do you know your neighbors? Not well? Well, then, maybe you need to go over and knock on the door and introduce yourself and see if there is someone in needs of a comforting word or encouragement. Invite them to church with you and have a nice meal with them afterward. Strengthen your ties in the community. Learn who is who and who needs what and what uplifting or encouraging things that need to replace the dark and dismal in someone's life. Campaigns are won one voter at a time. Lives are changed, one person at a time. By ourselves, as individuals, we have our own strength, but you're INDIVIDUAL. I'm not saying you need to break bread every single day with strangers and travel in packs, but open your eyes, your arms, your hearts, your homes. You watch. You will find people that are hungry for friends, for Jesus, for food, for warmth, for someone just to CARE. It's no mistake that we are heading into cold weather right after the election. It's APPROPRIATE. Now more than ever people will need light and warmth. What do you have that can make a difference and make a friend?

Strength in numbers. POWER in numbers. Don't isolate yourselves when what you have inside your heart can make the difference between eternal peace or eternal damnation, between a friendship or suffocating loneliness, between despair or hope.