Hot Potato

“Potato, Potato, Who Has the Hot Potato?”

This week’s devotion recalls the children’s game of “Hot Potato” and associates it with how we can sometimes react to the call to service and leadership.

 

 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”   —Isaiah 6:8—

 

THOUGHTS: 

In this big, crazy world, it is easy to be an observer only. So much is going on around us in our homes, our cities, our states, our countries, and our world. It is an overwhelming task to look around at what is happening to others and to try and decide if I can do anything to help. Even if I think there is something that needs to change, and that I am the one who can do so, then I must decide HOW to accomplish such a feat! Most of the time, it is overwhelming. There is so much to be accomplished, but the idea of determining WHAT to do is daunting, to say the very least. Then, you throw in the concepts of “I can’t really do anything by myself” or “Why is it my responsibility to address this issue?”.

So, we wait. We stall. We ignore. We pass it on. We fake busy (although everything we want for ourselves magically gets done). We turn our heads. We pretend we do not see or hear, suddenly struck deaf and blind.

We play the “Hot Potato” game with our time and money. You remember that game, don’t you? Each child tries to pass the potato as quickly as possible to the next child. To win, you must not be the one with the potato in your hand when the music stops. Do we do that as adults? Do we try to pass on the responsibilities of helping others as quickly as possible to the next entity? Do we do our best to be the winner with no problem ignoring what is placed in our hands?

As Christians, we are “called” to become involved. We are encouraged, as in the Book of Isaiah, to not look for others to help, but to look to ourselves to be an integral part of assisting someone or changing something for the positive. We are called to hold the problem in our hands and decide we can help. It may not be the perfect solution or even a solution at all in the grand scheme of things. It can though, be a small way to try and make a little difference in the lives of others.

Recently, a small Bible Study class, was collecting money each week for an undecided project to reach out to others. They wanted to USE what they were learning, not just selfishly for themselves, but to make a difference for someone. They had no idea what that project would be and certainly didn’t know how much they could collect. Yet, as they sat in the church building, discussing the Book of Matthew, suddenly the cloud of the war in Ukraine, loomed in their thoughts and spirits.

Could they possibly be effective with a few dollars? What would a little bit of change do to help the refugees? Could their small class dare to step out and do what they could do? So……they collected. Still, they persisted. Still, they hoped.

As God would have it, when the funds were collected, they were able to collect $360 for the UMCOR Ukrainian Refugee program. Now, that seems like a small amount, but instead look at the symbolic significance of that number – 360.

Believe me when I say, sadly, I don’t remember much from my 1974 Geometry class. Yet, I do remember that a circle is 360 degrees – a round object, such as a globe is 360 degrees! Hmmm……maybe the amount of the donation was not the significant part. Maybe, the fact that the class was able to bring their love “around the world” to a country they would likely never visit, is more to the point. To help others through the love of Jesus Christ, is to love ALL others – even those we have never met.

Think of those Jesus helped. He didn’t just help those in his small band of twelve. He reached out to others and traveled a long way during the three years of His Ministry. He also didn’t only help those that other people thought were “worthy” of help. Instead, He healed lepers. He saved tax collectors. He forgave adulterers and prostitutes.

This study class will never know specifically where the funds will be spent. Yet, they know, that with the love of God, all things are possible. Maybe someone receives some funds to help them as they are refugees in a new country? Maybe it helps someone pay for transportation, medicine, or food? Only God knows for sure.

I challenge you to reach out, not just to your next-door neighbor, but to go for it – the full 360 degrees! Reach around the globe in love and hope. Most importantly, do not pass on the potato. Do not wait for someone else to catch it. Don’t hurriedly throw the burden to someone else. Instead, accept it not as a burden, but as a gift. Catch it, hold it, and thank God for the opportunity.

PRAYER: 

Dear Lord of All. Help us to take on the burdens of others as a joyful way to show Your Love. Help us to go the full 360 degrees! Help us to open our eyes and ears to note the needs around us. Make us ready and able to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to everyone we meet and just as importantly, to those we may never meet. AMEN.

Trivia:  

Do you know who Jorge Mario Bergoglio is?

 

 

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