I once heard a sermon describing two different types of Christians, one of which was the "rabbit hole" Christian.  This is the person who jumps from her Christian Bible study hole to her Christian homeschool co-op hole to her Christian best friend hole to the safety of her Christian home hole.  I was convicted then and am, again, convicted now that this describes me!  I scurry from activity to activity, all of which put me safely in the company of wonderful Christian people.  But what I am failing to do is be shinning like the stars (Philippians) to the dark world that I live in.

The conviction of my failures has hit me in the face hard this week, due to getting to know two wonderful families.  The first family made a conscience choice to live in a neighborhood most would describe as inner-city.  They are surrounded by people of different colors, ethnicities and backgrounds.  This family conducts studies in their home each week for their neighbors.  At Christmas they carroled in their neighborhood, inviting each house to follow them to a hot dinner and time of fellowship.  They are always inviting the neighborhood children to come over for playdates, in hopes that they will establish relationships with the parents and then be salt and light to them.  This family has sacrificed the appearance of a great house in a suburban cul-de-sac with good schools and intact families surrounding them.  But what they are doing is not just talking about being a Christian - in fact they rarely sit around and speak "Christianeese"!  They are walking the walk, living their faith out loud and completely trusting the Lord for their safety and their needs.

The second family is changing lives in a different way, they are adopting children out of the Milwuakee foster care system.  They are taking kids that are unloved, unwanted and left to fend for themselves.  The first child they adopted was a 5 year old boy; past the age of the cute baby that has not had the time to pick up bad habits.  Their second child is a little girl who has some developmental delays and their child, a two month old baby, was born to a cocain addicted mother.  This family is faced with huge medical bills, rehabilitation, and years of therapy to heal scars of being neglected as children.  But, this family is so full of joy and love - there is never a moment without smiles, singing, hugs or kisses.  What makes this family different is they see a need -there are orphans in our own backyard (!!!) and feel called by God to do something about it. 

So, as I scurry from rabbit hole to rabbit hole, I am safe and secure.  I don't feel uncomfortable, I don't make any waves, and I AM NOT MAKING A DIFFERENCE.  Jesus did not sacrifice his life for me to stay stagnant in my life.  I have been blessed with an amazing support system of a strong Christian family, great friends, and a nurturing, teaching church - but what am I doing?  Jesus wants me to take that comforting, supporting system, place them firmly behind my back and then go out into the world!  I will have a place to fall when I need encouragment and rest - but if I am not doing anything, I will never know how supportive that group can be.  When I start reaching out to my un-saved neighbors, when I begin a summer vacation Bible school for the children and when I take leaps of faith to serve God, I know without a doubt that God will not only support me, he will sustain me!

So, here I am announcing to all who read this, that I need to start moving out of my rabbit holes and into the unknown!  Please hold me accountable - question what I am doing lately to live my faith out loud!

Dear Lord, help me to overcome my tendancy to jump from the safety of my Christian circles to the next safe circle.  Grant me the courage to change how I live my life so I can make a difference in your kingdom.

Amen.