It’s fun to travel. To go see and experience other places and culture. But there’s no place like home, and for me that place is Escondido, California. God has called me to this place, to this city.
I even get mad when people trash talk our city, because this place is dear to me, and so are its people.
But before I get too sanctimonious, I must tell you that I haven’t always felt the way I do about Escondido. About ten years ago I was at a leadership conference hoping to become a more effective leader when I heard a pastor share how he had laid his life down for the city he was pastoring in. I could hear the Lord saying to me,
Joel, you don’t have this kind of heart, but I want to give you the same love for your city and its people.
Later that night I read Paul’s words,
“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” (1 Th 2:8)
When I read that verse I melted. I cried out, “Lord give me this kind of love for people.” Then I said, “Give me this kind of love for Escondido.” I can tell you that He answered that prayer, and I knew it.
There are people who never get attached to where they live. They may enjoy the surroundings and activities available. They may like their home and their neighborhood. They may be loyal to the local sports teams. They may feel compassion for hurting people who live around them and even sense a spiritual burden for them. But they see it as someone else’s job, someone else’s problem, not theirs, and certainly never to the point of laying their own lives down for it. All the while they have a plan to move elsewhere eventually. They live in anticipation of finally arriving at that special place, and that’s when they will really “get involved.”
Before we get too critical of these types of people, I used to be one. But God answered my prayer and changed me, and gave me a love for the city I live in. I pray God will do the same for you, and together we can show the love of Jesus to people here. And together maybe we can do a little trash talking about other cities. Just kidding.
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