Day 104: My Filter is Skewed

A few years ago, some good friends of mine started a non-profit called I Am Change and launched their first initiative called Hydrate Hope. I was fortunate enough at the time to get to volunteer with them and that short bit of time altered my filter forever.

One of the things that I Am Change hopes to do is to change people's perspective of the global situation as it relates to clean water, education, HIV-AIDS, food, and so much more. And change my perspective is exactly what they did.

My thoughts go something like this, "Man that's an awesome house. But it's way more house than I need. I can't really justify that when I know that there are people in the world without clean drinking water." Or "I can't buy a car that expensive when I know that would provide two entire villages with clean drinking water."

And now my filter has been turned even more, causing me to see the children of this world who are broken and hurting and hungry and abused. And I can't live life easy when I know they need someone to help them.

And if I wasn't jacked up enough, I read The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Don't read that one unless you are indeed ready to "go home, sell all your possessions, and follow Jesus."

I will say this though. Living was a whole lot easier when my filter was turned in a different direction, namely inward.

I'm not trying to say I have it together, or that I'm not selfish. I am. In a million different other ways. And still often with my money. And definitely with my time.

All that to say, my filter is skewed. It's been turned off its axis and it's knocked me off mine.

I think that was what Jesus was trying to tell the rich young ruler. "Quit looking at the world through your filter and start looking through mine. Quit thinking that because you have all the religious trappings in place, because you seemingly do all the right things for me, quit thinking THAT is what it means to follow me. You want to do something to follow me, turn your filter buddy. Look at me differently and you'll see I'm not all about going to church and reading my father's Word. Those things are important. But I want you to do something much more radical than that. How radical? How about starting with sell all your possessions and follow me?"

All THAT to say, wow. What if I do have to sell all my possessions? What if I've just had a little garage sale so far and there is even more I must shed in order to follow Him?