Moved by being moved

During chapel this week we had the great privilege of having Dr. John Perkins speak with us. I have read and been inspired by two of Dr. Perkins' books: Restoring At-Risk Communities and Beyond Charity. He has been a champion for justice and racial reconciliation for the past 40+ years.

Before Dr. Perkins spoke, we sang one worship song together. Our worship leader asked us to prepare for worship by placing ourselves in a physical position that would enable us to feel what the outcasts in our world feel.

He divided the room into four groups. The first group represented "the poor" and removed their socks and shoes. The next group represented "those in bondage" and sang with their hands behind their backs. Group three portrayed "the sick and the old" and laid along the outskirts of the chapel. I was in the final group and we represented "those displaced by war, famine, and natural disasters." Our role was to constantly move around the room, we were not allowed to stay anywhere or find any seat. We just kept walking around.

I am naturally a cynic when it comes to "worship exercises," but on Tuesday morning I was caught off guard. I had no clue what emotions would surface in me within a 4 minute worship song. The guitar started playing, people began to do what was ask of their group, and I began to wander around the chapel. The first minute was bearable, but awkward. I felt like everyone who was sitting down was staring at me. I just wanted to go back to my seat. I mean, how could he expect me to worship while walking in circles around the room in front of everyone. By the middle of the song something clicked. I had been "displaced" for only two minutes and already felt so alone and helpless with no where to go. I began to wonder what it must be like to be homeless for real. I stopped singing, but kept moving.

My prayer is that I would keep moving. That God would allow me to feel what the displaced of the world feel. That I would choose empathy over comfort. But its so hard. Every once in a while God will whisper to my heart in a real way and remind me that His ways are better than mine. That comfort sometimes prevents me from something greater. That happened this week in chapel. I was moved by being moved.

This past summer that happened to me through this Tim Hughes song below. It became a theme song of sorts for our High School Mission Trip to New Orleans. I want it to become a theme song for my life. Freely I've received, now freely I must give.

God of Justice by Tim Hughes (6 minutes)