SPEND YOURSELF

HEART //

If you will SPEND YOURSELF, good things happen. Hope will become available for others, and hope will fill you. Grain of Hope’s mission is to enhance the vitality in communities. And the miracle of God’s nature is that as we open up opportunities for others to thrive, we experience that vitality in our own lives too! We’re partnering with 30 Days of Heartwork to help us all, right in the middle of our everyday lives, learn to experience this promise in Isaiah 58, written centuries ago. We are a community who believe that the self-focus which is so common in our generation leads to darkness rather than fulfillment. In the deep places of our hearts where we seek entertainment, popularity, and new stuff, we all really desire God’s light to rise. We, like many, had found ourselves frustrated, even within our Christian culture, asking the question, “Is this all there is to being a Christian?”

We found an answer to that question. No, this wasn’t all. There is more than what we had been experiencing. Learning to spend ourselves, not just our money, is a part of that answer. When we begin to invest the resources of our lives (time, creativity, unity, and funds) into others, the way God has invested himself for us, the God-light that we crave begins to shine! Honestly, sometimes it shines into the dark places of our hearts that we’d rather keep hidden. But we’re learning that bright and beautiful light is the only way to see clearly so we can live the way we were meant to.

During these 30 days together, we will spend time on four big ideas that will help us understand how we can “spend ourselves” well. As we learn about Letting Go, Identity, Compassion, and Mission, we will also be challenged to take on several simple activities that may be outside of our normal routine. These challenges are designed to help us try to imagine and even feel for the issues that others who are less privileged than ourselves might be experiencing.

The reality is that Jesus cared a whole lot about the lonely, the poor, and the outcast. We live in a culture that tells us to “climb higher” and while we do, we tend to isolate ourselves from the weak and vulnerable. During these 30 days, as we give God room to open our eyes, we will see that there are people in the world who need us to care about more than just our own comfort. And just as importantly, we will see some areas in our own lives that need rescuing as well.

This is a short but sweet journey that we want to walk with you. We want to start by asking the right questions... What if living differently for just 30 days would make a shift that could affect the rest of our lives? Is it really possible to love others as ourselves?  What could our story look like if we weren’t fearful or selfish?

When we spend ourselves, we experience freedom, and we humbly participate in bringing freedom to others. As you hear the “Heart” and do some of the “Work” of Heartwork over the next 30 days, may your prayers be deep, your heart be open, and may your light rise in the dark places of your world. 

WORK //

Ask God to show you some areas of your life that are in need of his light. Dedicate a journal or some creative space to these 30 Days. Write your list down! Spend at least 5 minutes in focused prayer for people in your school, neighborhood, or around the world who may be hungry (literally or figuratively) or oppressed. This journey of spending yourself will start this month, but our prayer is that it will last a lifetime. God will be teaching you new things and challenging you in different ways in every season of life. But right here, right now, you’re starting something. We’re proud of you. It won’t always be easy... It will be good.