"My Surprising Savior" Guest Post 2-14-09

Today's guest post is courtesy of Lorie Newman, who I virtually met recently on Twitter. Lorie, who writes a blog called "Living as a Fragrant Sacrifice" , responded to my request for someone to write about a surprising aspect of or story about Jesus.

I could do the expected and build Lorie up in advance, gushing on regarding what a wonderful woman and fine writer she is, but I think the following post, being in Lorie's on words, will convey those attributes for her. Thank you, Lorie, from the bottom of my heart.

Here it is:

"Exuse Me, Mrs. Buffington, But I Think You are Mistaken"

For me, being raised in a Christian home meant attending church every time the doors were open and bible stories being embedded into my mind before I could walk. I can even remember Sunday School as a very small child. I remember Mrs. Buffington putting pictures of Jesus on the felt-board each Sunday as she taught us about miracles and God’s love for every one of us.

In my mind, I can still see the tiny felt pictures of a dark-haired Jesus with an outstretched hand. Oh, if I could just rewind my life back 35 years for just a moment and go back to that small classroom, I’d have to politely raise my tiny three-year old hand and say, “Excuse me, Mrs. Buffington, but I think you are mistaken. That’s not at all what the real Jesus looks like.”

Little did I know 35 years ago that I would one day see Jesus. And I haven’t just seen Him once, but many times. Oh my sweet friend, I have seen Jesus. Although, the bible is not clear about the details of the physical face of our Savior, in Matthew 25 the bible clearly explains that we will see Him when we minister to even one of the ‘least of these.’ “Whatever you have done unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

The most powerful lessons about Jesus that I have learned have not been through a godly friend, through a powerful Bible Study lesson, or even through a motivating sermon. They were learned through the eyes of the poor, the outcast, the widow, the forgotten, and the orphan. And it was there, among the least of these, that I have seen Jesus.

I have seen Jesus in a little boy with AIDS in an abandoned baby refuge center in Swaziland whose smile lit up the room and lit up my heart. I blew soapy bubbles and played pat-a-cake with him until my hands ached.

I have seen Jesus in the face of woman dying of TB in a hospital in Africa. She was alone and afraid, so our team prayed over her.

I have seen Jesus in a homeless man whose story broke my heart. My family ministered to his family on Christmas Eve one year. It was one of the most memorable Christmas seasons of my life.

I have seen Jesus in the eyes of both of my adopted children the first time they called me “mommy.” It is hard to believe they were once malnourished and abandoned in third-world orphanages. Now they thrive with so much life.

I have seen Jesus in Maria, a Liberian woman who left “the American dream” to live among her native people in extreme poverty so she could save abandoned babies.

I have seen Jesus in the smile of an orphaned girl in South Africa who had just been given her first pair of shoes. I had to hold back tears as she held those shoes like they were her most prized possession.

This revelation of what Jesus looks like has been the most astonishing aspect of my Christian walk. What about you? When was the last time you saw Jesus? Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. Sometimes you have to get out of the Sanctuary and the comfortable pews to really see Him. But when we as Christians walk among the poor, when we minister among the homeless, the outcast, the widow, and the orphan, we’ll see Him. Oh, He may not look at all like you expected, but you will see Him. And friend, you will never be the same.