Go Beyond

My home is filled with faces — or rather the portraits of people I have met around the world. These photographs are generally the only souvenirs I bring home from my travels. They are important to me because they keep me connected to those who live in difficult places. At least once a day, even the slightest glance at one of these faces in the frames will stir a memory. Sometimes I feel compelled to pause and just stare at one of the faces looking back at me from its place on a bookshelf or a wall.

The faces in my home not only remind me that I am blessed, but that I am blessed to be a blessing. As a Christ-follower I feel a sense of responsibility for both the spiritual and physical welfare of those less fortunate. I cannot justify living my life with disregard for those who struggle just to exist from day-to-day. I believe that one of the quickest paths to displeasing God is to make my life all about me and mine. In the words of an old preacher friend, I do not want to become the person who gets all they can, cans all they get, and then sits on that can.

The faces in my home also remind me of the beauty and diversity of our world. I love the nations — the many people groups who call our planet home. Looking at all of the faces in the frames reminds me that “God so loved the world” — the whole world and not just the people in “my” world. And although the good news was intended for those “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9), millions around the world have never had the opportunity to hear this wonderful news. I am reminded of that fact daily by the faces in the frames.

The faces in the frames will not let me forget that those live at the other end of the Great Commission are waiting for those of us who live at this end to fulfill our obligation — to go beyond by praying, giving, and venturing both near and afar to show and share the good news. God can use us to change the world one life at a time if we will put ourselves in a context where He can touch others through us. And, as I have discovered over the years, the faces in the frame remind me that God changes us as venture forth to serve Him among the nations.