 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Free
Methodist World Missions Stories [Click on the "Missions" link above to enter FMWM's web site.] [Click here to go directly to Free Methodist World Mission People Magazine online!] |
|||
|
Sounds
of the City by Joel Miller
Desensitization to the city is happening all over the world. Every day Christians pass by neighbors who are sick, addicted, homeless or in need of a touch from God. Many will say, "When did we see them, Lord? Where are those people?" (Matthew 25). When the needs are so great and we see the same hurting people day after day, we can become hardened to the spiritual reality that these people are lost. They become a part of the background. We must daily choose to pay attention to the sounds of the city. The God of the city speaks with a loud voice. He challenges me to listen to the beggar's pleas for help, to understand the hurried pace of the crowds, to hear the possibilities in the shouts from a group of children. Will I allow God to use me to bring healing and peace to the city? Will you listen to His voice and to the sounds of your city? Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me," Matthew 25:45. Lord, give me ears to hear and a heart to respond. Editor's Note: Joel and Janette Miller spent four weeks in concentrated language study in Santiago, Chile, in preparation for their ministry in Mexico. |
|
|
As
I opened the door to our 20th floor balcony, the sounds of the city came
rushing in. Buses shifted gears and raced by. Countless taxis beeped their
horns as they sped their passengers to work. Wailing sirens blared atop
police cars. Dogs barked from every open window. A crew of workers revved
their power tools in the next building. Walking along the street, a different
set of sounds greeted me. Crippled men called out for a donation, vendors
hawked their specials of the day, women talked and laughed on their way
to work. We had just arrived in Santiago, and these noises threatened
to overwhelm us. Two-year-old Hannah proclaimed, "It's noisy, Daddy!"
After
less than a week in Santiago, these same noises had become a part of the
background. Incredible! At first, they demanded all of our attention,
but now we had to intentionally focus in order to hear them. The secret
is in the way God designed us. When our senses are overloaded with input,
the brain is able to sort out which signals need attention. This is called
desensitization and is protective for our ears and our ability to focus
on a task. But I believe desensitization is potentially dangerous for
our spiritual ears.