Monday, August 3, 2009

Joel 1

This was clearly a really awful time. Desolation like few of us today can imagine. That is unless you're one of the millions who live in war-stricken land with genocide and rampant disease that are probably very much like this. God's people all around the world are suffering. We should be calling for a solemn holy fast. But yet I still just drive around in my lovely suburban city and forget these graphic images. Or I just tell myself that because it's long ago and far away that there's nothing I can do.

But I bet you've heard of that starfish story. You know, the one where the whole beach is littered with starfish left behind from an unusually high tide. And a jogger comes upon a child repeatedly throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean even though there a thousands more that he will never be able to get to. And when asked why he even bothers since he can't save them all or really make a difference, he picks one up and throws it back and replies, "I can save this one."

We are at war. It's easy to forget. But this depiction of devastation is happening all around us spiritually. People are dying without Christ and living without Him too. And not only are we called to do something about it, we are also commanded to pass on this mission to our children in a compelling enough way that they in turn pass it on to their children like in verse 3.

So who's your starfish? Who's the person you can do something about? Or maybe it's an issue. Clean water, human trafficking, drug abuse, homelessness. Don't just get overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. Bend over, pick up the starfish and throw it back in. And make sure you have your kids and grandkids along with you because you're going to need backup.

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