Let's start at the very beginning. I was born on a certain day in a certain place to a particular woman. I grew up here and there and had a childhood. Upon becoming a man I started doing man things, which eventually led to getting married. That in turn took me to fatherhood, which is pretty much where I am now.
Now that all that biographical data is out of the way let us look at a major beginning in my life. It all starts in a book, the Bible.
Matthew 25:34, 37 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:I was hungry and you fed me,I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,I was homeless and you gave me a room,I was shivering and you gave me clothes,I was sick and you stopped to visit,I was in prison and you came to me.'
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
I read this many many times. Once upon a time I devoured the Bible everyday. I had a strict reading plan, and I stuck with it. Too often I read without attempting to understand, I simply read to fulfill an obligation. When I threw out my reading plan and put away my Bible for a few years I finally began to see.
I saw things like this story in Matthew 25. Which if read honestly is quite clear. Jesus is to be found with the needy.
That was the latest, and perhaps greatest, beginning in my life. The realization that Jesus was not found in religious obligation, but instead was walking amongst the least of these, changed everything for me.
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