One on One

Wheels up! By the time anyone reads this I hope to be hitting the streets of N’Djamena, Chad. It’s humbling to think this is the 3rd trip to a country I barely knew existed a year ago. Now when I think of Chad I see places and faces as my heart overflows with joy. God is moving in profound ways all over the globe and don’t let the pervasive negativity cloud that crucial perspective.

The world is a big, beautiful place full of fascinating people. Including you! Have you considered today that you are the only you who will ever be? A unique blend of personality, gifting, and experiences colliding together to make you one of a kind. What our mother’s told us is true!

The creativity of God is something to behold. From the red dirt of south Alabama to the sands of the Sahara, and it’s the people that I find most intriguing. Similar desires, similar problems, similar smiles, yet uniquely and wonderfully different. Our differences remind us that God has a heart for the one. Why else would God take the time to form and fit us in our mother’s womb?

As I head out into the world, God has impressed on my heart to see the one among the many. It’s the one who captivates the heart of God. He doesn’t neglect the 99. The 99 are together and safe in the pen. He leaves the 99 for the one.

There are still 88 unengaged, unreached people groups in Chad. That means they’ve never heard the good news. Never. That’s millions of people comprised of the one. Bob’s, Jackie’s, Craig’s, who have been formed and fitted by the hand of God. One would be worth it because God has a heart for the one.

Pastors must have a unique smell. Yesterday as I was getting ready to board the plane in Norfolk a man about my age “happened” to stand next to me. He was headed to Newark hastily after his younger brother past from a heart attack. At 38. My heart broke for him as he had no words to express the thoughts captivating his mind. I had no words either, only listening ears. I trust God worked through me to help him begin to process before stepping into his familial role as oldest brother. We prayed.

The God who holds the universe in His palm also gives His heart for the one. He gives us the opportunity to be a part of His plan wherever we may be. It always comes down to the one. It’s the realm in which God does His most profound work.

My thoughts heading into the week revolve around the one. The greatest gift you can give to the world is yourself. An incarnational gospel on display through you. Why? Because you’ve got a unique blend of personality, gifts, and experiences that God can use to impact someone. Not in theory. It’s a guarantee of God! And today. There are no wasted lives and no wasted days. Let’s open our lives up as a portal of God’s presence to those around us. His love, His forgiveness, His truth. All of who we are for the one.