The L's

There are many times in scripture, when there are places that grab our attention. It's one of the joys of reading scripture.  It doesn't matter how many times you read it, there is always something new.  We can read the same story, over and over again, and each time we read it, there is something different that we take out of it.

But, have you ever had the experience of reading a familiar passage, and you get caught up in the same place every time?  And I mean, every. Single. TIME!  It's almost like God is trying to tell me something....and probably you too.

One of the places where that happens to me is in Matthew 25.  You can read the whole passage that I'm referencing (Matt. 25:31-46).  Of that story, which is a great one!  There is the one part that I get caught in every time.

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,25.40 Gk these my brothers you did it to me.’

--Matthew 25:40

Which part do you think I got caught in? I always get caught in the "least of these" part.  Every time that makes me stop and work through what that means.

When I was a kid, I thought "least of these" meant other small/short people like me.  When I got to college, I thought "least of these" meant people who didn't know as much as me.  We all know college teens are some of the smartest people on the planet...up until the time when life says "I don't think so" and we figure out that we really aren't.  Thankfully, my "smarter than thou" moment didn't last a long time.

After a while, I began to see the "least of these" as being the folks that had needs.  These are the people who may, or may not, try real hard but always seem to be lacking something necessary to help them live from day to do.  It may be food, fuel, housing, medication, etc.  These folks, I know make up a large part (majority) of the "least of these."

There is something else that I've learned though.  That is that the "least of these" aren't limited to those folks.  In fact, at some point in our lives, we'll all be one of the least.  Several years ago, someone described the least of these as "The L's"

This can be a pretty large group of people!  It can include folks that only make a stop through the least for a short time, but it also includes folks who may stay there for years.

All of that is a part of who we are.  The thing for us to remember, so that we don't become overwhelmed by it, is that what Jesus is describing is a marathon and not a sprint.  It can feel like we have to fix all of the problems now, because they are so hard, and it is hard to see others who are hurting or suffering.  But we can't fix everything at one time.  We can't fix it all quickly.

What is needed from us as Christian People, is to be in it for the long haul.  We have to be in it for the entirety of the marathon, and not just for the opening sprint.

I invite you, as you read these words, to recommit yourself to being in this for the marathon.  Don't feel like you have to fix everything now, but do be looking to how you can help those folks that are a part of the L's over the long term.  That changes our thinking.  Take a look at what you can do, and what you can offer.  Then I invite you to go to God in prayer and listen for God's response on how you can help those that are a part of the "least of these."