Challenge to Myself

Yeah, I've been pretty busy, and I see many late, late nights for the next...um, month and a half.  I have to take a minute to post a challenge I have to keep myself accountable to because if I keep it secret I will have little motivation to strive for it.

So here it is:

I need to ask two people each week two questions:

1. How can I pray for you?  (How can I help spiritually?)
2. What can I actually physically/tangibly do for you?  (How can I help physically?)

Now, you may be saying, "Well, Desiree, how difficult will this be for you?  You live in Jesus-land."  Don't worry, I will not disappoint.  My fellow seminarians (that word is so weird, it makes me think of us as alien-like amphibians), neighbors in seminary housing, church, and Christian friends don't count.  Well, they count as people, and I will still ask them these questions, but my aim is to talk to people I don't know but encounter while I'm out and about. 

Clint thinks this should be easy for me because I can strike up a conversation with almost anyone.  I'm very candid and like to get people to laugh even at my own expense.  Also, I have no problem talking about God in my life with strangers, but when it comes to asking them about their faith, I'm a little hesitant.

Why am I doing this?  There's a number of reasons.  We study at a seminary and live in seminary housing which means we're at an 11 on the Pew-Squatter Christian Comfort Meter 3000 (now available at LifeWay).  I also have a really big heart; it doesn't take much for me to feel sorry for people.  I sometimes feel guilty that we have a car (only one) when I see people walking on the side of the road...even in really nice weather...and they have smiles on their faces...and they're wearing shirts that read Power Walker 4-Eva.  (OK, I'm being silly, but you get the point.) 

The biggest reason is that I need to be used by my God.  Because I've been given the greatest gift ever--eternal life, it bothers me greatly to be complacent.  I love that God instills that in me, and then it's up to me to act.  It's so beautiful how He obliterates the trenches of obligation that we outwardly despise yet internally take refuge in.  Obligation is not conducive to true relationship; we see this in the Old Testament...and, last time I checked, everyday life.  A true relationship is what makes us want to act, not need to act.  What is this called?  In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul writes about it in regard to how Christ has removed the veil that is associated with the old covenant (filled with obligation and need-to-do's):  "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  (Emphasis mine.)  Freedom.  Wow.  So, because of my God breaking down boundaries to establish true relationship via salvation in Christ, I have freedom, and this is how I'm going to use it.

So, we'll see how it goes.  NO--I mean I'm going to do this and have awesome stories to report!  I know two sounds like a pathetic quota, but I don't want to be overly ambitious and fail week after week.  Depending on my progress, I'll eventually up the number.

I'm excited to see how God will use me.