Tuesday, February 19, 2013

GUATEMALA 2013: (6) "All I'm Offering is the Truth…

…nothing more."


Do you want to know what it is?

You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church…

That you are a slave… like everyone else you were born into bondage

Unfortunately, no-one can be told…

you have to see it for yourself.

This is your last chance...

After this there is no turning back.

You take the BLUE pill, the story ends, 
you wake up in your bed and you believe 
whatever you want to believe.

You take the RED pill, you stay in wonderland
and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Remember…

All I'm offering is the truth, nothing more.

I was sitting at my desk when he approached me with a serious look on his face. I feared the worse. He eased my tension as he smiled and then surprised me by pulling up a chair and while placing his feet on my desk, drew in a deep breath and then drawled out, "please step into my office."

He told me of his son who was a college student in search of meaning in life. He asked me if I would be willing to meet with him and talk to him about our calling and mission in life. He hoped that maybe his son could catch a spark of this passion that is worth everything we have.

I felt his deep sincerity and I understood the powerful desire of a father to see his son grow to be a good man. I have seen it reflected in the eyes of my father, and I know it within myself as I watch my own son approach adulthood.

Lately my emotion seems to be just under the surface of my composure and I felt my eyes moisten as I blinked it away and with a smile said, "yes, absolutely."

A few short days later I sat at that same desk as he and his wife approached with their son. 

We sat down after brief introductions, my lame but somehow enduring humor, and small talk. I looked into the eyes of that mother and father that seemed to reach out to me with a pleading for the edification of their son, and I noticed that the young man was scrutinizing my own eyes. I saw in him a desire for understanding… and an interest in me.

I felt like a million search lights were illuminating my body on an empty, black stage with an audience innumerable watching. It was a sobering realization that the words I chose with this young man may indeed have significant consequence with the path of his life. These were the types of moments for which I had prayed. Game on. Showtime.

After some discussion, he told me that he was not a Christian and asked if he would still be welcome. I told him that in the interest of full disclosure, I am a believer. In fact… the reason I am doing what I am doing is because of the power of my belief. I also told him that his personal belief in my faith was not a requirement to go.

I simply am looking for people who are willing to love a child. People who have a desire to reach out and lift up a life. My requirement is people who are willing to give of themselves with no expectation of anything in return to share in the pain of another.

As our eyes locked, I though of The Matrix and I gave him this analogy…

"Do you remember the movie, The Matrix? Well, this is like that. The decision to join us and serve in Guatemala is a real red or blue pill moment. No-one who goes walks away as the same person. It will change you. It will change you forever. What you think you believe, what you think you know about yourself and even about the world-- it will change forever.

This is a red or blue pill type of moment. Belief is not required at this point, but I promise you this-- if you go… everything will change for you. Are you willing to have all your perceptions challenged?

I have replayed this conversation in my head over the past several days and I am blown away by the straight up truth that somehow found its way out of my mouth. Kellie and I did not set out to become missionaries. No. In fact, we had our future planned and we were following that road.

But, stepping into the world of the fatherless, the abandoned, the impoverished, the widowed… and the faithful forever changed our view. We swallowed the RED pill and we are forever lost found in the rabbit hole.

We present you with two pills. How you choose this day will forever decide your future.

Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
    Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.

The people are blockheads!

They stick their fingers in their ears
    so they won’t have to listen;

They screw their eyes shut
    so they won’t have to look,
    so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
    and let me heal them.

But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! 

A lot of people, 
prophets and humble believers among them, 
would have given anything 
to see what you are seeing, 
to hear what you are hearing, 
but never had the chance.
Matthew 13:12-17

So… what is it going to be? BLUE or RED?

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