Reckless Love
By Candi Lopes, Children’s Ministry Coordinator
“Oh, the overwhelming never ending reckless love of God, Oh it chases me down fights till I’m found leaves the ninety-nine…” That’s a line from one of my favorite songs called Reckless Love (lyrics based on Luke 15:4).
As I was listening to the song and thinking about what to write for this devotional, my thoughts kept going back to the amazing ministry of a local nonprofit called Life 360. It’s a youth outreach program that strengthens community through positive relationships with at-risk youth and young adults, giving them purpose. Through things like tutoring, life groups, college and career planning, Life 360 gives at-risk youth and young adults alternatives to truancy, dropouts, alcohol abuse, gang, and drug activity, which tend to be common in that demographic. Life 360 truly demonstrates God’s love and how God will always seek the one that is lost.
I recently had the honor to serve with Life 360, and I have been amazed at how they are building relationships. Many young adults coming together on a regular basis to be positive influences and mentors to at-risk youth is a very good example of what it means to be like Jesus to those around us. The mentors get to know the youth and their families, which has been very helpful in getting them through this pandemic. They deliver food to those in need, to their homes. They have built trust with the families to be able to go into their homes and help the students with connecting to the internet for their distance learning. To me, this sounds like the reckless love God has for us, in the way I believe the song artist was trying to explain it.
“We're not saying that God Himself is reckless, He's not crazy... But what I mean is this: He's utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His own actions with regard to His own safety, comfort and well-being. ... He doesn't wonder what He'll gain or lose by putting Himself on the line, He simply puts Himself out there on the off-chance that you and I might look back at Him and give Him that love in return. His love leaves the ninety nine to find the one every time and to many practical adults that's a foolish concept. Well, what if He loses the ninety nine in finding the one, right? What if, finding that one lost sheep is and always will be supremely important?” (Cory Asbury, songwriter)
Just as we have so much to learn from how God loves, I think there is something here for us to learn too from how the Life 360 team and its leader Warren Lilo love at-risk youth. This also reminded me of how the young adult disciples of the Christian nonprofit Agape International Missions in Cambodia love those they serve. The young leaders from both of these organizations have this fire and excitement for God and bringing His kingdom here. Warren and his team’s leadership and mentoring trickles down to the young adults, and then to the youth. Each young adult is attached to a youth, who they mentor and do life with.
Inspired by all this, our First Prez Ohana Ministry wants to start an initiative, where we help build “tribes” for the kids and youth, where each one has three adult believers from different generations (young adults, senior adults), who are committed to praying for them for at least one year.
I am eager to see how God wants to work through our partnerships with other ministries and how we can demonstrate reckless love.
Prayer: Dear God, thank You for the relationships you bless us with. Help us to steward them and grow them for Your kingdom. Teach us how to love like you. Amen.
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