I know most people are not motivated by hard work; especially when their path to travel is a hard one. I can be that way too. As a matter of fact there are times when I wonder, can I even do this? These times occur when I realize that what I am working toward is going to be a major struggle. That is when I can get discouraged. Case in point, after moving into the Franklin Park neighborhood of Columbus, OH we have had murders on Morrison Avenue (which is on the east side of my home). We have seen our neighbors robbed and vandalized. It can get bad enough here to make you question why you moved in to begin with.
Even with crimes like these to me the worst thing I see is lack of personal responsibility and apathy. This seems to lead to a sense of hopelessness. When it comes to progressing while living in the inner city it’s almost as if most people have given up. There are some that have conceded to the condition of our neighborhood. I am encouraged by the fact that not everyone has. Some of my neighbors are firm in their attack against hopelessness. Praise the Messiah for this group of neighbors!
I had a vision where all of my brothers in the Faith were banded together walking the streets, magically seeing the hopelessness disappear. Everyone we passed suddenly began following Jesus and repented of their sins. Just by us walking past them they believed and repented, and then they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This was not of our Lord. What I mean is the Lord requires us to work hard at the mission he has given to us. We can’t think it will magically occur. The mission is to make disciples. This work can be tiring. In fact, it can almost seem as though you are not making any progress most of the time. Then out of nowhere you see people come to the faith. Or maybe you meet a few neighbors willing to help one another with home repairs. It might just be neighbors supporting one another through a tough time.
My favorite thing to see is when people start to take action once they understand what it means to be empowered. Maybe they realize they did not take advantage of education early in life and are now motivated to go back to school to learn a new trade. Maybe they start to take pride in seeing the fruit of their hard work. Maybe they receive positive reinforcement from their families and friends for taking these steps to change. And then when they hit a big goal from making these changes they gain enough momentum to never give up and never look back. Then they have officially changed for the better. Yeah, I like when that happens.
At the end of each day I try to reflect on one positive moment with the people in my life. It’s hard some days. But normally I find joy in someone. Something always happens for the good. The point I am trying to make is that we are here by the Lord’s calling. He has allowed us the honor of participating with Him. As His goals are realized in our lives it is His timing alone in which progress is being made. We should not complain about it taking too long to see disciples being made. Basically he wants us to push the boulder up the hill, even if we don’t think we can and don’t see the progress. Now that I know that, I’m motivated to try harder.
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