They’re There! (For Norm’s Trip, and Thanks for Asking)

I’m here so that you can have life, real life, 

now and forever, and it’ll be even more and

better than you can imagine!

— Christ Jesus, John 10:10, RDSV

How’s your day been so far?

How’s this whole mission trip thing going?

How were things back home when you left?

If you’re like the rest of us, your answers to all three questions might be a combination of the good and the bad and the blah. Sometimes it feels like there’s way more bad than good. About then I’d gladly welcome some blah into my life.

That’s when it’s easy to miss what God’s up to around us. And in us. And through us.

God usually works through people. 

God put us in the midst of people who care. Look around. They’re here.

Maybe something another person says or does reminds us of a promise we have from God. Like that one up top here from John10:10.

Then by the grace of God, in our remembering we can start to open up to the real life that’s more and better than we can imagine. Some of us have really good imaginations, but God has an even better idea. Good stuff there for sure.

God put us in the midst of people who need us to care about them. Look around again. They’re here.

Lotsa times they’re the same ones who helped us. It’s usually in those moments that we discover fresh elements of the more and better parts of the real life into which we’re invited as followers of Christ Jesus. Like a song says about helping, “When we are giving, or when receiving, we belong to God.” (356, When We Are Living, in our current official United Methodist Hymnal.

So how’s it gonna go for you the rest of today?

And how’s the rest of this mission trip gonna be for you and the people around you?

And yeah, what will things be like when you get back home?

You can change your answers anytime by your choices and your actions. For starters, the rest of us need you to help us remember John 10:10. And we’ll help you remember, too.

Real life is like that.

Will you let me pray with you? —- Thank you, God, for this day and this mission trip and for my friends and my family. There really is so much to celebrate even sometimes in spite of stuff. Thank you for getting me to this point today. Help me to help make a difference for somebody else. All of this and a whole lot more, quite a bit of which goes beyond any of my words, I pray in the holy name of my Lord, my Savior, and my one real Best Friend Forever, Christ Jesus. Amen.