I went home this last weekend for Memorial day and went to my cousin, Blair’s, graduation. It was really neat because they live in a small town, the same town my mom grew up in, called Holland and there were only thirty-something graduates, so they make it really special and fun. It is a 1-A school and they just have a pretty tight nit community. Blair’s dad is my Uncle Doug. He has always been one of my favorite uncles. Doug loves big and is one of the friendliest people you would ever meet. My mom was telling me while we were there about all that Doug and some of his good friends had done in that small community in the last few years. He has such a passion for making things better around him. He, most recently, helped to build a playground for the community. They gather up donations and put in tons of man hours to pull this thing off. My mom was telling me how they had to dig down four feet, figure out where all the concrete posts went, fill it with two feet of rock and then two feet of mulch, and then continue to make the structure on the top. This is all volunteer work on top of his regular job. As she was telling me all of this, I couldn’t help but think how much more a guy like my Uncle Doug looks like Jesus than I do. I am often so selfish with my time. I love people when it is convienient for ME. When is the last time I served someone without expecting anything in return? We wonder why the world doesn’t long to know the God we serve. I think it is because we, often times, act more self-absorbed than they do. I want so much for people to see Jesus in me. Not for my sake, but for them to long to know a God that is far more amazing than any of us “Christians” could ever illustrate. Lord, thank you for continuing to teach this broken vessel what more you want from me. And thank you for Uncle Doug and his heart, his example and his life that challenges me to be a better follower of you.
