We have had a decent amount of time on a bus in Nicaragua so far and it’s afforded some considerable time to think. As we’ve driven through the narrow streets I’ve seen scores of people going about their lives. People I’ve never met before and never thought of before. I don’t know if you’re anything like me but when I hear that there are 6 billion or so people on the planet, the number is too big for me to grasp. Seeing the people on the streets of Nicaragua stirred something in me that just hadn’t clicked before. Each person matters just as much to God as I do and there are just so many people out there. People with different hurts, different pasts, different struggles and different dreams for the future. Being a pastor at Seacoast and having worked there for so long, I know a lot of people. I generally feel very relationally connected and even more so than the average person. That being said, seeing all these people in a different country has given me a deeper sense that it is a big world. It also has given me a deeper sense that God is much bigger than I thought.

Just the simple fact that he knows each person completely, loves them fully and pursues them passionately blows me away. Seeing people on the streets of Nicaragua also stirred something else in me…I’m way too focused on myself. There are masses of people with deeper  hurts than me and harder struggles than the ones I face. I want to have more of a global perspective. Just talking to some of the locals you realize that while we are very different, we also share the powerful bond of humanity. You can feel a sense of family with those you’ve never met before. It’s humbling. There’s nothing I necessarily feel called to do about these stirrings at the moment but I think they’ll usher lasting growth into my heart and that’s what it’s all about. If we can open our eyes and grow a little each day…if we can love a little more each day…listen a little more each day…I believe we’ll end up having a pretty sweet journey.