I typically refrain from bragging (mostly because there honestly is nothing to brag about), but… I ended school and started summer way back on April 23rd. Almost a full month ago! On the opposite end of the spectrum, there exist an unfortunate many who don’t get out until mid-June. I visited several of that kind last week at Northwestern. (Please forgive me for my lack of sensitivity and empathy).

If it were feasible and time not a constraint, a new hobby I would start would be to experience what a ‘typical day in the life of _________’ is like.

As we were following one my friends around, we eventually made our way over to one of the central locations on campus, where it’s always bustling with activity. In the midst of it, a table was set up that was devoted to raising funds for the recent Myanmar cyclone victims, a terrible event that has been on the forefront of news stories as well as the agendas of humanitarian organizations. In response, my friend’s Christian fellowship had enlisted its members to take shifts to sit at that table with a cardboard collection box and periodically shout out “HELP THE MYANMAR VICTIMS, DONATE MONEY” in an attempt to sell the cause to classmates and professors.

For the forty-five minutes we sat with them and joined in on the effort, I made this one observation (in retrospect): none of the five of us behind the table donated a single penny. What does this say? It says that the ones trying to sell the cause didn’t believe in the cause themselves.

I knew I had money in my pocket. I knew Melanie had money. I knew my friend had money. I knew the other two girls did, too, because somewhere in that time frame they bought themselves some pizza. And additionally from the lack of energy and conviction and compassion in any of our voices, I knew none of us really cared. And I am sure many who only gave us a glance noticed.

Fortunately for the cyclone victims, many on campus enthusiastically and with genuine compassion donated despite our poor efforts. Some even asked if there was more they could do.

Let this be both an admonishment and encouragement to all who profess that they believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ and the new life that results from God’s amazing grace. The admonishment: if all we do is show up at the table when obliged to and periodically shout out our message but mostly care about the pizza or the side conversation, we are marring that message. We need to invest in it ourselves; God calls for a generation who truly believe in the cause themselves, not just table sitters (or pew warmers, for that matter). Like I wrote about in my previous post (‘Art i choke’), it’s all about the heart. Know that if you don’t really care, others will take note. The encouragement: fortunately for mankind, God is able to draw people to himself and to his love story despite our poor efforts. Good thing none of us are capable of screwing that up.