In this blog series we want to show you that it is actually really easy to make an impact where you live. We hope you start to see that more by reading this series!
Last week we wrote about a book called Bo’s Café and how it talked about relationships. Another aspect it touches is how to have true friendships in which you can show your true face and you are still loved and accepted. The book shares the story of a man who had some real issues in his life and he ends up meeting a guy and a group of other people who keep loving and accepting him, but also help him to grow.
So how do you translate this into relationships with neighbors? Very easy. Just be who you really are. Don’t put on a fake mask. If you have a hard day or go through a struggle be real about it, because over time that opens the door for them to do the same. Also share about wonderful things happening and also just normal life, that shows that you are a real person in good and bad. It cuts down on expectations for people that if they become a Christian they have to be perfect and that would not be reality. Also being real opens the door for true love. How can you truly love people or how can they truly love you if they just know the fake mask. Look at Jesus, he showed how he felt anger (kicking out the merchants in the temple), grief (when Lazarus died) etc. What did it do for Him and his ministry? It opened the door for people to be real as well and it opened up a deeper relationship (see disciples).
Of course there is also a caution with that. You don’t share your deepest secrets with someone you just met. Of course it needs to come out of the level of relationship that exists. Jesus showed it well with his disciples, he shared the deepest things with them, but not necessarily with the 5000 people crowd.
Chew on those questions:
- What holds me back from being real?
- How can I be more real with my neighbors and people in my life?
Hey our friend
We hope you had a fantastic week. Jen and I were working this week a lot on admin stuff. It is important to do that to keep the ministry running. Jen is also hosting the bookclub this coming Monday so she was doing some cleaing for that as well.
But that is all ministry. Whatever you do to further the kingdom is ministry. So don’t look at certain jobs as more or as less important. Each one is equally needed.
Remember that this week when you do your job that God called you to!
Have a blessed week
Markus and Jen