Did any of you watch American Idol tonight? It was their special “American Idol Gives Back”. The two hour special included visits from celebrities and performances by big-name artists like Kelly Clarkson and Josh Groban. Throughout the evening, they asked people to call in and donate money which will be given to the various organizations that are part of ONE. These organizations are fighting poverty and AIDS all over the world.
I struggled to fight back tears as they shared stories of people dealing with AIDS, malaria, illiteracy, and other issues. I feel like God has been putting this issue of ‘felt needs’ “in front of my face” alot over the past few weeks. The youth group at my church (which I help with) has been talking about serving, specifically the types of serving listed in Matthew 25:35-36; last week we talked specifically about serving the homeless. The statistics the leader shared with us were overwhelming. My brother is getting involved with some of the awareness events surrounding the “Invisible Children” of Uganda. I feel like God is breaking my heart over the physical needs of the people of this world. I can’t even begin to fathom what these people are going through as they watch their family members die from diseases they don’t understand or struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their children’s heads… But I want to help– in some way I want to meet their felt needs, to share the love of Christ with them by being Christ to them. I have no idea where God is going to take me in all of this, but my prayer is that I will be willing to follow Him wherever He leads.
