me & my grandpa, shortly before he died.

Two years ago today, my grandpa Keith passed away. His name was Isam and he was awesome! Big muscles, great laugh, and the man good dance all night. Our family daily misses him, but likely no one misses him more than my grandma. Join me in praying for my grandma, Willene Keith. Pray that our God would draw near to her.

Probably like many of you when you remember a loved one, a phrase comes to my mind when I think of my grandpa. Throughout the day he would often announce “Lets get up and went.” He LOVED saying it and for a long time as a kid I just curled my face, trying to figure it out. When I was old enough to ask about it, he said,

“Ryan, you can talk about getting up and doing something, or you can tell people about it after it’s done. Always inspire others by doing it before yapping about it.”

So, on this day, it got me thinking about all the things our partners in Africa do without without “yapping” about it first. Daily our partners experience hardships, yet act boldly with love. Sundays are often filled with men and women bringing children to church with them, children with no where else to go. They come to ask for direction and help, but they have already done the hard part by saying yes to kids who have no where else to go. Pastors, who typically have some of the least resources in a community, take in children into their own homes over and over. They do it out of love, called by God to fulfill “true and faultless religion is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress, and to keep oneself pure and holy before the Lord.” (James 1:27).

James 1:27 is a verse meant for me too. Is it for you? I’m convicted by that over and over, called by God and inspired by the example of the Church in southern Africa.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes scratch my head at all the excitement we get ourselves into about serving our neighbors here in the USA. We have meetings about it before hand, we make tshirts for it, we have slideshows about what will come or what we did, and rearrange our schedules to participate in a day of service or a few hours of volunteering, then may talk about it all year long. What if we loved more like the Good Samaritan, who came across a person in need and immediately responded? What if we stopped patting ourselves on the back before and after simply for doing the very things God craves for us to do? What would change? Our egos may be stroked less, but our impact may be more effective.

What if we loved first? Or better yet, just loved?

Today, I ask you to consider investing in our work, not just for the children who need a champion. Do it for you. Learn from the examples of the churches and children who fill our blog and website with their insights into the heart of God. Dare to love now, then tell people about it after it’s been done. Or don’t tell anyone at all. Just love orphans and widows, like James & the churches we serve.

My grandfather was always amazed when I would share stories of the church in Africa and their love for kids. He was a man who spent his life investing in children, particularly those needing special surgeries or facing physical hardships. Join me in honoring him and our God. Together, “Let’s get up and went.”

-Ryan

Follow Ryan Keith, President of Forgotten Voices, on Twitter.

Follow Forgotten Voices on Twitter.

Tags: action, Africa, aids, forgotten voices, Isam, Ryan Keith, zambia, zimbabwe
Filed under: General Blog, Ryan's Blog, Ten Together Blog