SHAKE THE DUST
THE DAILY CALL came just like clock-work. I knew the number. I knew the caller. But this time I didn’t answer and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I grieve the for person on the other end of the line.
NEARLY A YEAR AGO a ministry opportunity captured my attention and my heart. It was an under-served segment of the population. They were young, many came from challenging backgrounds, some were facing legal challenges and all of them needed Jesus. Hearing their stories, seeing their struggles, and remembering from where I came, I thought that just maybe I could make a difference. Despite the cautions of many, and the warnings of others, I felt that the right thing to do was to serve, to help, to mentor and to teach this group of people.
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME there was excitement. They came to Bible Study. The showed a desire to grow, but releasing their past was another thing altogether. The group we had (and that’s exactly what we called it: “group) was fragile. One person could make a comment in a group chat that could wreak havoc for days, if not weeks or months. Despite the challenges I pursued.
THE SACRIFICES WERE MANY and the cost was significant. I neglected other important areas of ministry to focus on this group. My family sacrificed due to the time and cost of making an impact on this group. And the emotional toll was often great. I loved the group. I wanted the best for the group. But so many times the group didn’t want what was best for them.
DESPITE THE STRUGGLES there were a couple of uplifting experiences along the way. But even those proved to be cruel imaginations at best or outright deception at first. I’m reminded of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. (Mark 4:14). In the parable, the sower scattered seed. Some fell on the path, some fell on rocky soil, some fell on rocky soil and some fell on good soil.
INDEED, I SPREAD the seed of God’s Word and some fell on the path. That seed quickly blows away, is taken away from Satan. And, yes, there were some that just exited the group quickly and wanted nothing to do with the gospel message. Some fell on rocky soil. It grow initially, but just couldn’t take root. And then those were gone. Some fell among the thorns. They, too, grow quickly, but were overcome by worldly desires that choked out their spiritual life and prevented them from bearing spiritual fruit.
IT'S ON THE GOOD SOIL, the fertile heart where the seed of the Word will make a difference. And after a year of concentrated effort, what I must ask myself is this: has any seed fallen on good soil? For a couple of months I was delighted by what seemed to be seed growing in good soil. All the right things were said. I was led to believe lives were being transformed. But it proved to be the cruelest soil of all as for a reason unbeknownst to me, it was not true transformation. I was being told what I delighted to hear, but the reality was proven to be much different.
STILL HOPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE I tried to show Christian love and forgiveness to one who had wronged my family and me. Like the others, I spent a lot of time to try and bless him, a lot of money to try and encourage him and a lot of mentoring to try and change him. Due to a number of crimes he found himself in jail. And I went to the jail to meet him. My heart was sad by what he was going through and the challenges ahead. In my heart I knew that incarceration punishes, but there ought to be a way to help. And I worked hard to find him help.
HE CALLS ME DAILY and I look forward to talking to him. I enjoy hearing of his plans for a new life once released. I enjoy hearing him recite Bible verses he has memorized. One of my life’s biggest blessings was to hear him pray the first time. Maybe I was able to break through and make a difference for one. That would have made it all worth it.
SADLY, I LEARNED that even while in jail he was conversing with those with whom he’d gotten into trouble. Rather than setting himself up for a new way of life he was clinging to the old way of life. I know that Satan doesn’t release his own easily, but I had hoped that this particular person would not make it so easy for the Devil to wedge his way back into his life.
IN MATTHEW 10:14 Jesus told the disciples to “shake the dust off your feet.” They were told to do this as a testimony against those who would not receive them and the Word of the Good Nes that they brought of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Ministry is important and time is precious. Jesus didn’t want His disciples spending more and more and more time in places where there was not going to be success.
SO ON THIS DAY I find myself asking, “Is it time to shake the dust?” Should I turn my attention to other areas of ministry where I had been making a difference and where there is a desire to learn and grow and become more like Christ? When is the right time to shake the dust?
TODAY THE PHONE RANG, but I didn’t answer it. And I grieve.