Who is in your family?

Every week day as the Lighthouse team we pray in the morning for various things....today's focus was the community we live in, and I was leading the prayer time. 

God lead me to the book of Nehemiah 1:4: "When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven"

This was Nehemiah's reaction when he had heard what had happened to Jerusalem - as it had been destroyed...what a reaction hey?!

When I first read his reaction it seemed so overwhelming and a little bit dramatic, but it actually just really reveals his heart for his community where he use to live, it reveals his heart for people - his heart for the Kingdom of God. He responded if they were his own flesh and blood in my opinion.

But this verse should course us to think about how we respond to things, it certainly challenged me this morning. I would very much like to go home and see my friends and family, and be with people that I know are having a hard time....but at the same time I know God has called me to Brazil. Well this morning my heart and eyes were opened. There was a group of us that went into the community to pray, we walked up a hill (there are many in the slum!) and could see over some of the slum and the rest of Belo Horizonte. While praying for the people of the community - God's children, it clicked inside me, I am part of God's kingdom and so should all these other people, who do not yet know God...they are my brothers and sisters too, and I need to long for them, cry for them, as I do my own family & friends. I need to adopt Nehemiah's heart for the people in the surrounding community and beyond. 

What a challenge to me on how I should be seeing people .... as my family, as God's children, as people who need so much love and care, and just not another person who is not part of my life....they are more important, and I should be treating them how I want to be treated, and my focus needs to be on them too, so they can become part of God's Kingdom where they belong...

So you can read this post and see what I am learning about God and how I realised I need to change my perspective and keep my heart focused on my work and life here in Brazil serving God, instead of focusing on wanting to go home....or you to can also think about the people around you - your very extended and large family that also need love, hope, joy and God...