By Emily Jefferies
“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
“Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them,
“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
-Matthew 25:35-40
My husband and I just got back from a trip through Cambodia, and I’m still reeling from all our encounters with Jesus. I saw His face, held His hands, kissed His cheeks, twirled His hair in my fingers. I have met the “least of these,” creations of God who have hardly any possessions and fight every day to survive.
They are hungry, they are thirsty, they are naked, they are sick.
BUT
They are also smiling, laughing, playing, imagining.
They are, in short, breathtakingly beautiful, images of the unseen God.
Look! Do you see Him?
There’s no other way to say it: I’m changed forever. This is the sort of thing I have heard people talk about many times; they rave on and on about an experience they had with the less fortunate, claiming that it changed their outlook, made them a new person, taught them that life is short, showed them what’s important. I always listened and nodded, wondering at what their life must have been like before. Certainly a lot more cushy than mine, I smirked, Because it’s not like I’ve ever lived in luxury.
Oh, how foolish I have been! Did I not recognize my own abundance?
Now we’re back in modern Taiwan and I sit at my kitchen table, cozy in fuzzy bathrobe and slippers, sipping coffee, pondering my own immense wealth, pleading with God for an answer to this question: Why me?
Why was I born in beautiful and abundant Michigan, instead of dry and dusty Cambodia? Why was I given parents who loved and cherished me, instead of ones that abandoned me? And, the killer question, why should my life be any easier than theirs, ever? Since I haven’t done one thing to deserve it, how can I wallow in my own riches and save for a house and buy a car and pick up that smoothie on the way home from school, while my fellow men share field mice and frogs for dinner?
This is hard.
When Jesus asks us to feed, clothe, visit, and house the least of these, is He just talking about the ones that happen to cross our paths? Or to purposely go out and find them, not stopping until we do? I’m the kind of person who wants specific answers, steps 1-5. But oh, it never seems to be that way with God! He is always wanting me to listen, which is just so much harder!
From Proverbs today, probably what God’s trying to tell me:
“There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more. And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”
“He who trusts in His riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.”
Proverbs 11:24-25, 28-29
Just let go. Give. Wait for the whispers of my Lord and act, immediately. Follow where He goes, close on His heels, looking for Jesus in every face.
Ok – it’s time to start trusting. Who’s with me?
Father, please teach me to not rely on my riches! Take away my selfish desire. Teach me to scatter. Teach me to water. Teach me to love the Least of These, and You, more than myself and my wants. I’m aching to be obedient and am asking You to show me how. Hear me!
***
p.s. We were helping with Our Friends NGO in Cambodia, where the people of Takeo Province are in serious, life-threatening need. You can visit their website or ask me for more details
I do see Him! Yes! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I had no idea what Cambodia was like until I read your post. It’s beautiful when we bump into Jesus all over the world, and are challenged about how we can serve him better.
And I had no idea what Cambodia was like until we went! I just could not have guessed at the sort of beauty God has created there. His workmanship is really, truly unimaginable – one has to experience it. I love that about God. He wants us to FEEL and KNOW and LOVE what He has made, because He loves it too! What an adventure!
Emily, this was great! My 9 year old daughter happened to come up to me while I was reading it. I got to read it out loud to her and talk about the Lord’s words and what the “least of these” might mean. We were able to look around and see that we, too, live in luxury. (And, she wants to adopt one of the little girls so she can have a little sister.) We thank you for showing us a glimpse to jump start our hearts towards loving Christ more!
I’m so moved, and loved reading about your mother-daughter moment…makes me think of my own childhood and how much Mom taught me. Now I’m grown and seeing God in the everyday does not come so naturally as it used to – tell your daughter to make every day a finding-Jesus day! Never let it go!
I’m with you, Emily!
Thanks Mary!
I finally sat down to read this and I’m listening to Ingrid Michaelson while reading it, nearly coming to tears. Beautiful, Emily. I ask myself these questions all the time. Watching images of the tragedy in Japan right now, I actually thanked my parents for raising me in “boring Midwest America”, something I used to complain about and now cherish. Why me? I’ll probably never have an answer, just an overwhelming urge to pay it forward.
Seeing the craziness unfold in Japan is just another reminder that we’re SO FRAGILE. We cannot know the day and hour of our own death. Sobering. Yes, Micki, let’s pay it forward, while we still have breath in our lungs!
I love the statement “search for the face of Jesus”. He is everywhere. We would see Him everywhere if we just took the time to stop, look and listen. (Just like they taught us in school.)
Emily, I have had thoughts like these for a long time. It’s so hard to understand. Thank-You for the beautiful pictures! The little girl making a backward C with her hands reminds me so much of Izzy!
Emily- I think you will like this song called “Jesus” by Shaun Groves. It usually makes me cry every time I listen to it.
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