It is Spring and I am in Auburn, Alabama.
Prior to leaving, I received a phone call from my friend, Terry. Terry lives in a community at least two hours north of my home in Puyallup, WA. I was scheduled to drive out the next day and had made strong attempts to see many people before leaving, except Terry. Terry said, “I need to see you! I need to hug you and to pray for you!” So, 20 minutes later I got on the road and drove 100 hundred miles for a hug and a prayer. I know on paper that this isn’t practical and that it may not appear to be the best use of one’s time and it just doesn’t make sense. Or does it?
Over the course of my life, I have done “six hours for one” and “10 hours for one” and I have done “1000 miles for two hours” And I have done this often. Why? Because Jesus and His Gospel are about relationships. People matter. But to what extent do they matter? Are they worth the time, the expense, the inconvenience? Are we willing to be interruptible? Jesus was. There was a woman at a well, another woman who for 12 years was very sick and a man full of leprosy and there were children, so many children. Read the stories. At times, it was costly to Jesus, but it was beneficial to the many, to the one. I have been privileged to stand and speak to 60,000 people. I believe there is a place for that, but I also believe that the most lasting and beneficial moments are with the one, the one who requests a hug and a prayer… and 100 miles. It is worth it. It is inconvenient. It is costly. It is transformative. Try it.
