I went for a run this morning at around 6AM. As I turned west and began running toward Pike's Peak in the distance, a song by Death Cab for Cutie came on my iPOD. The lyrics struck me.
I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then I could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.
The lyrics from this song, The New Year, made my head start to spin. This phrase - folding a map, folding a map, folding a map - started running through my mind. I thought of the children 6,000, 8,000, or more miles away who are held from us by so much distance. I thought of the distance that separates humans from God. But by the greatest map-folding act in history, Jesus became a human and moved into the neighborhood. This distance would never hold humans back from God again. I thought of Children's HopeChest and our endeavor to connect communities of faith here in the States with communities of orphaned children overseas. By fostering relationships where there is financial support, prayer, letters, and visits, we are in the business of map-folding. We work hard to overcome the distance that separates us. Thousands of miles and thousands of years of history, culture, religion, language, economics, and politics separate us. Not to mention that our lifestyles are worlds apart (we are the richest people ever to live on this planet, while the extreme poverty is claiming victims daily in the Global South). But by following this incarnational example of Jesus, we can come close. We can fold the map and be in community with those in need around the world. If you or your church want to know more about how to fold the map, how to connect with orphaned children overseas, email me.
Together we can overcome the distance that holds us back from sharing God's hope and practical help with orphaned children around the world. Fold the map.
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