My People

A few months ago I was sitting down with one of my mentors and I was sharing with her some of the experiences Ward and I have had on the mission field. For those of you who know me, it probably didn't take you long to figure out that I am a verbal processor. I tend to talk in circles while I attempt to figure out everything that is going on in my head. Sometimes this will lead me to a dead end or an open ended question, but on the rarest of occasion it will lead me to a profound thought. I am so thankful for the people in my life who will allow me to babble on while they sit patiently and listen.

"If speaking is silver, then listening is gold." -Turkish Proverb

It was just a month after the race riots in Charlotte and we were also in the middle of the presidential campaign, I was sharing with her how I was deeply concerned about the division in our nation and I wasn’t sure what we could do to bring unity. I began to share something that has touched me deeply throughout our time in Cambodia. On many occasions during ministry, people have said to us the exact same thing… “Thank you for coming to help my people”. We’ve heard it a hundred times.

I have a good friend in Cambodia who works night and day at an NGO that deals with some of the hardest situations that you could possibly imagine. She is a fantastic young lady who I assure you has wanted to quit twenty times a day for the last five years, and in the last conversation I had with her, with tears streaming down her face and through an exhausted half smile, she said: “I can’t quit, I am doing this for my people, they need help”. I have always been humbled by this expression of love and self-sacrifice, but it wasn’t until I was back in the U.S. sitting at my friend’s kitchen table rambling endlessly about life that something really significant dropped in my spirit. I have been holding onto this word since November of 2016, and I feel like now is the season to release it.

You see, as I was sharing, I realized something that I had never thought about before. We always talk about America as the great melting pot, the land of opportunity and diversity. Whether you feel like this is true or not, go and visit a third world nation and you will quickly become extremely thankful for our nation even in it's imperfection. However, America has one major problem that other nations don’t face. The very thing we wear as a badge of honor is often our greatest disadvantage. Almost every nation has one major thing in common: ancestry, heritage, culture; and with that comes a unification, a deep sense of belonging and knowing who you are.

America, The Great Melting Pot

America is not the same, not only are we a relatively new country that doesn't have a deep rooted past but also unlike any other country we were founded on diversity. We aren’t made up of one culture, race, religion, or ethnicity. We are made up of many cultures and over the years many of these cultures have washed all together in true “melting pot” fashion to create the American culture that we know today.

We have created American culture, but have we lost our heritage?

What is happening as a result of this washed out heritage? People across America have a great longing that is rising up from within: a need to belong, a search to find “my tribe”, a never ending question of identity. And so I sat there thinking about that, and asking myself “Who are my people?” After a lot of thought, I realized that this is a major component that we are missing as a nation and as a church body. Other than your immediate family, who are the people you do life with, the people who you are intentionally involved with, the people you would go to war for?  Who are your people?

Why Is It Important?

Knowing who your people are gives you a sense of identity. It makes you feel like there is a place where you belong, and with that comes a feeling of safety and security,  a confidence in who you are. From that confidence you go out into the world and accomplish your destiny and purpose. When you are successful, "your people" cheer you on; and when you fail they are there to pick you up and tell you to try again. Knowing who your people are will give you a reason to fight battles that you wouldn't fight just for yourself, and it gives you the strength to press on. 

We see throughout history and even throughout scripture the importance of having "a people". Here are some great examples: 

Moses pursued an impossible journey so that his people would be free. With the famous words: "Let my people go".

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge..." Hosea 4:6 

"At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:1

"Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; But my people do not know the time of the Lord." Jerimiah 8:7

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

And was it not Esther who approached the king and put her life on the line for the sake of her people?

"Then Queen Esther answered, "King Xerxes, I hope you will show me your favor. I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That's what I want. Please spare my people. That's my appeal to you. My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We've been sold to be killed and wiped out." Esther7:3-4

There are many more prophets, warriors, and Kings throughout the scripture that fought for the sake of "my people" but for the sake of brevity, I'll let you look them up for yourself.

When I think of my friends in Cambodia who are willing to sacrifice their own comfort, dreams, and desires for the betterment of “my people” I began to ask myself, as Americans who are our people? Yes, we are all Americans, but we don’t typically think of the people around us in that way. Our culture is very isolated with a touch of "every man for himself" mentality. Which is why in times where the pressure is turned up you immediately see the great divide within our people groups.  This divide is loudly shouted across social media and is seen in acts of violence and protests across America..... “Black Lives Matter”, “All Lives Matter”, “Blue Lives Matter”, "Vote Trump", "Vote Hillary", "Not My President", … all of these movements shows a better perspective of where our heart is. So if you examine your heart and are honest with yourself, who are your people?

Misunderstanding who “your people” are will cause you to fight the very people you were called to protect. See, not having this question answered causes division and discord. Are your people White? Black? Liberal? Conservative? Your own generation? Are they people who go to your church? People you work with? People who agree with you? People who look like you and think like you? No. Without knowing who “my people” are,  we will automatically begin to categorize people and instead of developing community you will begin to create division. 

So Who Are My People? 

Jesus came and lived a life on the earth in a passionate pursuit of His people.

"I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'" Hosea 2:23

As Christians, whether you live in America or any other nation on the planet your people are those that make up the Body of Christ. Whether they look like you, talk like you, live like you, or vote like you; those are your people. Thick or thin, black or white, peace or war, those are your people. And guess what? Even if they don’t go to your church, those are your people too. As the body of Christ we are supposed to be one unit, one family, with our own beliefs, cultures and traditions. We are meant to be set apart from the culture of the world around us with our own unique language, traditions, and movements. We are His people. A people who are unified as one body serving one God. So as God's people let's stand together, let us honor one another in times of triumph or defeat. When we are pressed in on all sides, let's remember who our people are.

No matter who you are, what you have done or ever will do, you belong...You are My People.