I often talk to folk about my faith: what and why I believe, but I realised this week, it can often be in quite a detached way. I'm in my comfort zone when the territory is philosophical discussion or wrestling with theology, but how often does my faith-sharing get person? REALLY personal? I'm not just talking about telling my own story of faith, but being in a conversation that costs me something more than a just bit of my time? I was listening to Tom, our Philippines director tell some of his story this week and it challenged me more than I've felt in a while.Tom's family in the Philippines had been caught in an increasingly violent battle with another family. It escalated to the point where the other family had hired someone to kill Tom's brother. Tragically, he succeeded. The "hired gun" managed to escape and it was thought he may not be caught until he was eventually arrested on unrelated charges and the truth was discovered. To me; that's where it feels like the story should end: murderer caught and arrested. Justice accomplished. But Tom didn't see it that way. He went to visit the man in jail. Here's where the story takes a twist. A twist that if I didn't know Tom or other people that can vouch for it, I don' think I'd believe.
Tom doesn't go to gloat or get angry. He doesn't even go as the "victim" to make the man see what he has done. He goes anonymously to talk to the man about sin and a Saviour. The guards (who all know who he is) let him in and (I imagine) stand back to watch the encounter. But Tom (with what I can only imagine are about as mixed-up emotions as you can get) goes and speaks gently to the man, asking him about why he is jail and what he has done. The man is utterly remorseful and repentant for all he has done, as he tells Tom about the man he murdered. Tom responds by telling him of a Man who can help with that and there in the jail introduces him to his best friend, Jesus.
I wish I could tell you exactly how the story ends, but I was so overwhelmed by this point that I wasn't listening too well. I know the guards told the man who Tom was in the end and not only did Tom have an opportunity to 'forgive on earth what was forgiven in heaven', but it paved the way for the families to be restored to one another also.
That is what it looks like for faith to be costly. To really love like Jesus did. To lay down rights for the sake of God's priorities. I've talked to people about all these things in the past and even liked to think I'd experienced them, but my perspective on reality just shifted. When I was doing Schools' work we often used to do assemblies with some rather pushy or trite analogy that finished off with "that's a bit like Jesus...". With Tom, you just have to say: "that's a LOT like Jesus".
