My First Tattoo
When I think about heaven, the following are a few of the many words & images that come to mind: Jesus, all nations, peace, worship, redemption, no hunger, no pain, no disease or sickness, no prejudices, and forever. When Jesus instructed His disciples to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, He was revealing a piece of His heart - His yearning that this planet and its people (His people) would return to their original "good," the way it was always created to be.
So I have committed my life to embracing my unique role in making my corners of the world more like heaven. To be honest, I'm terrible at it alone; but thankfully Jesus has given me everything I need to follow Him, and He has also provided a community of people around me with whom I enjoy the journey. Together we seek to find pockets of our world that need a little more proof of the hope of heaven.
God's call on my life to fight for "on earth as it is in heaven" has taken me to many countries, of which our church family now strategically focuses on just a few. We seek to humbly partner with the long-term work already happening in these countries, longing to model the mission of Jesus Himself amongst the nations. So I'll challenge you with some of the same questions I ask myself on a regular basis... Where do you find time to serve the sick? How do you reach out to those displaced or disenfranchised? How does your life prove that you care about orphans & widows? What role are you fulfilling in sharing the truth and grace of Jesus with those who have the least chance to hear about Him?
I'd love to hear your comments about how you and your church family are living out Jesus' prayer, seeing His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven!
Love, Mel
P.S. As soon as I get my tattoo, I'll be sure to let you all know!!
Charlotte