Thinking Same Kind of Different as Me

First thought : Same Kind of Different as Me? What kind of title is that?

My thoughts now:

I think it'll take a few days for my brain to wrap its way around this story. It's one of LOVE, compassion, living as Christ called us, remembering the ones that society forgets, the power of Jesus Christ. My heart feels like someone gave it an Indian sunburn : this book is so moving.

It's amazing to me what can come from one person's faithfulness. One person's obedience. One person's passion. Debbie Hall had a vision, a call to care for the homeless in Dallas.. and this book is the fruit of what her faithfulness produced. The friendship between her husband Ron, a successful multimillionaire who buys and sells art to wealthy clients, and Denver, a homeless man who grew up in slavery and has lived on the streets for thirty plus years, is the fruit of what her faithfulness produced.

One of the best parts of Debbie, Ron, and Denver's story is that it reads exactly like that : a story being told. A journal being read. Lives being lived. When you finish and you step back and look at it as a whole and put all the pieces in place, your mouth hangs open and you marvel at what you've read. And it's all true!!

It's transformation, a love for the unloved, a belief that we're all the same.

One of my favorite parts was actually in the 'Where are They Now?' section at the end (so read that too!). Denver is asked about ministry opportunities that have come since the release of the book. And he answers, "I never dreamed I'd be on TV, radio, and visit many cities like New York City, Washington DC, and Chicago and speak to thousands of people on behalf of my brothers and sisters that are still on the streets. And I never dreamed I'd be able to give money back to those who took care of me for so many years. I just couldn't think that big!"

I JUST COULDN'T THINK THAT BIG.

Aha.

Think about the biggest thought you've ever had. Has it ever included saving a city? Has it ever included being a voice of love and compassion to those who have never heard it? Has it ever included doing something you laugh at now? If you're anything like me, your thoughts are riddled with worries and questions and movie quotes.

Oh but God : God thinks BIG. He thinks bigger than we could ever dare to think. We think the impossible.. and He thinks 'all things are possible.' We think there's no way.. and He thinks death on a cross. We think 'I could never do that'.. and He thinks 'but I've never left you.' We think we're not strong enough.. and He thinks 'well let Me do it.'

We can't think that big. Or minds and humanity aren't capable of it. We can't think of what we could do, where we could go, the difference we could make. But we have a God that can.

As I'm typing that, I think that's scary. Letting God think for me? How big can He think? What if He takes me somewhere I don't want to go? It can knock you back. But what I'm learning and what I think this writing teaches is that we can rest in His arms. That there is no safer place than to follow where He leads. That there are things that stretch us and challenge us, but ultimately those things should bring us to our knees. That there will be pain and loss and hurt and heartache, but that God has carried us through and our reward is so much greater. That in the end, we can see the bigger picture that He thought up the whole time.

I think about the things and events and situations in my life that I never could have foreseen the outcome. It makes me think about how God is good. He has delivered. He has carried me further than I imagined or ever thought possible. And when I think about the things that have only just tentatively begun and I can't tell and don't know where they're going, I can remember the character of God and where God has taken me before. I know He's thought this through. We don't know where we're going or what will be the end of what we start.. but oh we're called to be faithful.

After a life spent worrying about how different he was from people with homes, Denver finally realizes that we're all different. We're all different : you're the same kind of different as me. You and me and the people we see everyday (strangers and friends) are all different people with different stories, dreams, hopes, jobs, families. But the beauty of being different is the truth of how much that makes us the same. We're the same : children who are loved by our Creator. People who need each other as we walk the road God has laid out for us. Those are different roads, but they pass and connect and intersect and run parallel to each other. We see each other from our roads and wave hello and stop to chat and sometimes share a piece of road for a leg of the journey. We can help each other get to where our roads are going : to where God is leading : if only we know our roads start in the same place : on the cross Christ died on and the tomb He rose again from.

I'm praying that I cement that truth in my head whenever I encounter people. The people I love, the people that annoy me, the people I pass by without a second glance. I'm praying for the trust TO LET GOD THINK FOR ME.

Last thought : Same Kind of Different as me. Now that's a good title.