“Moses
said to The Lord, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
Israelites out of Egypt?’ The Lord said, ‘I will be with you; and this
shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the
people out of Egypt, you shall worship The Lord on this mountain’.” Exodus 3:11-12
“Who
am I” to do this wondrous, awesome, and overwhelming thing in the name of The
Lord? Who are any of us, really, when we think about what could be a life-changing
transformation in which we are the Divine Tools, that The Lord would choose us
and ask of us to reach out to His people?
Even
trying to wrap our minds around such a thing is too much! Yet a quick
glance at the headlines in this state, in this country, and especially around
the world we can easily see the need to be released from the bonds and shackles
of this world are great. And clearly The Lord means for His creation to
be set free from the “empire” of the world that keeps us from getting closer to
The Lord. Yet this is the reality, a reality even the most faithful among
us can often struggle with: a God who would go to such great lengths to do such
wondrous things – and then choose little ol’ me … or you. “Who am I”,
indeed!
Whenever
the task before The Church gets a little too big to wrap my own mind around, I
always think of Mother Teresa’s great quote: “If you cannot feed 100 hungry
persons, it’s ok; just feed one!” That is, as great as the needs are in
this crazy world, we each only need to touch one other of our neighbors – not
to give them some empty religious formula that does not speak to their anguish,
but to touch their lives in an intimate and fully giving way.
That
is the power of The Church. Even though big churches can do big things
and little churches can do little things, in the end it is the little things
that matter most. Not world-class entertainment, not charismatic
preachers, and not even the great music we share. No, it is the neighbor
whose life is touched by “you” – as only “you” can.
We
may not believe we have much to offer, but we all have something to
offer. And so offer it we must because we realize that what we have to
offer was never really ours in the first place. It was entrusted to us
for the sake of another. Just as Jesus’ life was entrusted to Him so He
could offer His life to others, it is no less true of those who choose to
follow Him.
Yes,
the little things matter and probably matter more than the rest. And we
all have it to share; the only decision left is whether we will. “Who am
I?” And our Lord answers, “You are exactly what the world needs right
here, and right now.”
Blessings,
Michael
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