Are we effective in the Kingdom… or are we just busy?
Posted on 29 February, 2016 by David Stanfield
It occurred to me this morning that we live in a world surrounded by people in desperate need for Jesus, desperately in need of a future and a destiny with Him at the center… but we are so busy doing stuff that we no longer see their need.
It’s like we are paramedics - fully trained, with all the medication and equipment we need to save their lives, to change their destiny forever, BUT…
Picture this:
You are driving down a country road and come upon the scene of a horrific car accident. A car has just smashed into a tree. The front is crumpled and the door has been torn off and is lying out of sight, but you can just make out the person inside - alive, but dazed and in serious shock and trauma.
This is the end of the road for this individual if they don’t get help. They have no future if they don’t receive lifesaving procedures.
Someone else must have made the emergency call because, as you watch, the ambulance arrives with sirens blaring and pulls up sharply next to the vehicle.
Inside that ambulance sits all the equipment, medical supplies and expertise this person needs to continue their journey to fulfill their destiny.
The team of para-medics swiftly jump from the ambulance. With lightning speed they asses the situation, consult and begin to act. They tear open the door on the passenger side of the vehicle. They reach in and, avoiding the blood, broken bones and traumatized tissues, turn the person and pull their legs toward them.
Working with paced professionalism but quick efficiency, they cut the trousers from the ankles and roll them back. They slice through the laces and pull the boot of, then carefully cut off one sock at a time.
The leader reaches back his arm to his team member who stands is ready to hand him…
They hand him a bottle of yellow nail polish!
You sit there aghast and mortified as each toenail in turn receives a coat of nail polish. By now the team is relaxed and jovial as they have accomplished their task and are enjoying the experience, chatting and laughing as they focus on the final effect of their labour, transforming the feet of the victim.
As the colour drains from your face, you notice they are perfectly comfortable. They know they are in the right place at the right time. They know they have all they need and are very focused on their important assignment. They are happy. They are busy. They are actually doing stuff.
When they return back to base they can say they got there in time, they worked hard the whole time, but in the end the corpse just had more attractive feet.
What are we focused on? What is our busyness achieving in the medium and long term? Are we positively impacting the lives of the people around us or the people that we are called to or are we just painting people’s toenails?
Posted on 29 February, 2016 by David Stanfield
Your comments and reflections are welcome: Email: david@davidstanfield.com