Reaching Out

I recently watched a movie called, "To Save A Life". You might have seen it, you might not. It's supposed to be a Christian movie, although when I watched it I was like, "This is a Christian movie?" I mean, the first 25 minutes you would not think this is a Christian movie. At all.

I mean, first there is a suicide scene, although no gore is shown, then the few curse words, the party's and drunkenness, then the main character and his girlfriend have sex. For the record, they kiss and he takes his shirt off and then lays her down, then it skips to later and he is seen with sheets and she's leaving fully dressed, but it's obvious that they did it with his words. Anyhow, I was like, "Christian movie?"

Then the rest of the movie happened. I mean, it was pretty eye-opening. The boy started asking deeper questions, and with the help of a youth pastor, he started to make sense of it all. Now, I don't really want to say anything else if you have not seen it, but what was most prominent about this movie is reaching out to the unlovable, the outcasts, and the forgotten.

I was just smacked in the face when I watched this. I was like, "How many people have felt alone simply because I never took the time to talk to them?" I usually didn't, because those people weren't considered "in". What kind of Christian are we if we can't show God's love to everyone? I was just...Wow. I was sick with myself. I realized I don't know what it means to love people.

What about you? Do you stay away from certain people because they make you feel uncomfortable, or they aren't cool enough, or aren't worth it? How can we as Christians even do this? If we are Christians, the love of God is in us! Why aren't we showing it to the world?

Tonight I was at church, and there's this kid that has started coming recently. He has some problems mentally and physically, but he understands everything you say to him, and he can read, write, and think, but there is something wrong with him. Now, I have not really tried to befriend this kid, because I think he's weird and he wouldn't care either way.

Well, the Lord has been showing me what it means to reach out, and I have asked him for opportunities. Tonight, I won't mention any names, but someone said, "Here comes...Let's get out of here." I was angry. This kid cannot help how he is. He's not right, but one time in youth class I heard him say, "I don't have a family that loves me. No one does." Now that makes me extremely sad, and guilty, because I never even tried to reach out to him.

Most of us stay away from him. I can sort of understand why the girls do, because he is flirty and he says random things, and puts his arm around them, but he can't help himself. He's not right in the head. As the service started, he was in a pew in front of us kids and he was by himself. Then he got up and sat next to his mom, and I felt really guilty. I felt like I was a failure to this kid. Then all of a sudden I felt something telling me to go sit with him. I was kind of afraid, because I didn't know what would happen, or what the others would think, but then I was like, "This it it. These people are back here talking and laughing, not even listening, and that boy is sitting with his mom because no one would sit with him. Who cares what they think? Disobey God or stay in my comfort zone?" So I stepped out. Sure I felt nervous for a second, but then I was at peace. I don't know what the boy thought, but I hope it did something.

I'm not trying to say I'm better than people, or trying to praise myself in any way, because I am just as guilty and would not have done it if I hadn't felt God pulling at my heart, but after I did, I think I understood just a little bit what it means to value all people, and to reach out to others. I hope God does bigger things with me, because I want to please Him and glorify Him as much as I can, even if it's as simple as reaching out and showing God's love to others. That's all that's on my mind as of right now.