Sea of Joy
Listen to Sea of Joy and what I’ve got burning inside…
I just witnessed a worker bust out in tears over the joy of serving others. He once bragged he never cried, hadn’t cried for years, and it was foolish and useless. That was a year ago.
But tonight he wept a Sea of Joy over the kids he loved and served for years. Now growing older, these kids are becoming winners with spiritual hope — not just Kosmos hope — and a real future, unlike so many others he knew–even himself at that age. He wept at the honor God granted him to imprint their childhood with living spirit.
But his joy was mixed with grief. Now his “children” were walking into a fog of waiting hurt and scars that stay for a lifetime. One of them is my own child, and I know what he means: their sweet naivety will vanish soon. They’ll never again have those squeaky-high voices. He asked me if he will recognize them later, and will they remember him? These questions are difficult to answer.
He was a heartless punk who now feels that weighty love parents carry, deep inside. How strange for a non-parent to care this deeply. It is supernatural, a new life Jesus sparked in that young worker’s heart…and Paul felt it, even though unmarried:
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1
I know how it feels, and even this young worker is cherished in my heart the same way, and I love him like a son. I prefer to say “Little Brother,” only because I never want to confuse those disciples or myself about who their true father is, waiting in heaven, and I also want them to come alongside and even peck at my character the way siblings do. I get it enough, but I could use more pecking, I’m sure.
This is what happens when “a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,” Jesus said: “It bears much fruit.” (Jn. 12:24) I’ve seen that young worker miss many Friday night adventures with his peers to spend with kids far below his level. And tonight, “it bears much fruit” in his heart.
Who is this dude?
Tonight I swim by moonlight in a Sea of Joy not easily forgotten.
Mark and Diana, Neil and Kalie…come dive in! The water’s fine!
Ministry is so bittersweet and can be really heartbreaking. Most of the guys that I tried to love and care for are doing their own thing in the world now. But, it is also so worthwhile to see someone like the guy you are talking about really change and love people because of God.
So cool - I’m glad you wrote about this and I hope this guy does too!