To pursue something or someone is to go after it or them
with a reckless abandon of your own needs and wants for their betterment…that
is my own personal definition of pursuit.
Everyone wants to feel pursued. It is a fact of life that if you breath then you need
pursued. You may have times when
it is stronger than other feelings in your life but it is still there waiting
to creep up to the surface again.
Whether you are a child looking for friends, a teenager looking for your
parents’ approval or involvement, or a spouse looking for attention or
affection. Whether you are a
church leader, looking to your congregation for approval and support; or
looking to your boss for the next advancement. We all look and long to be pursued daily and sometimes in the
right people and sometimes not.
One thing we want to do while here in Uganda is pursue
people in the loving name of Jesus, not in a strange stalker kind of way. But it is our desire for people to feel
longed for and wanted. There are
too many people in these communities and around the world, that feel like God
has abandoned them a long time ago and they are on their own. We desire to change their minds by
pursuing them and helping them feel wanted. We are trying our hardest to be a church where everyone is
welcome and wanted. Where you
don’t have to be in your Sunday’s best, but you come as you are. Where you don’t have to have all the
answers to life and life’s issues, but you come and seek God’s love and keep
breathing and moving forward.
Friday Night Church has recently started a men’s and women's group for the desire of helping people
learn about the love of God and how he can be the center of their lives. So, how do you show people God’s love
and that he pursues them daily?
We had a group here a few weeks ago from our home church
(Ben, Ethan and Christie), I asked them to bring some specific clothes to help
a family in need who’s a part of FNC.
Charles is a special man, he is married and has 4 precious kids. His kids come to Joy Club (our
Wednesday after school program) and his wife and him come for The Fireplace (monthly large gathering). We had the privilege of
taking 2 tubs of clothes; shoes, hats, just basic necessities of clothes to
them for their kids. I cannot tell
you the impact it had on us as a family, but as the group from the States can
tell you it was awesome. One thing
that really hit me though through this divine intervention was that they felt
pursued through that meeting.
Charles led us in a prayer after we gifted them with the clothes and the
first words out of his humble mouth were, “Lord who am I?” I think we all just sat there
dumbfounded at this man’s humble prayer not knowing how to process this thought.
So, who are we?
Do we think of ourselves more highly than we ought? Or do we humble ourselves before the
Lord daily, offering our lives in sacrifice for His service? We are all guilty of waiting for someone
to pursue us, but what if we just think for a second that we should be pursuing
others not waiting to be pursued.
What does that change in our view of being pursued? Does it change anything for us? Do we still long for that “feeling”
that we need to be wanted or needed, or can we change that about ourselves?
I am not perfect in this area of life, marriage, parenting,
or being a child of God, but I trust God that I don’t have to be perfect in
this area. That He pursues a
relationship with me and I with Him and that’s all that matters. My prayer is that we can keep pursuing
the broken and beaten here in Kampala to know that they are desired and loved
by the Father of us all.
Thank you for partnering with us!
In His loving embrace,
Wendy
