By Doug Lucas, Team Expansion President
Here at Team Expansion, we LOVE people from other cultures and other nations. What’s more, no matter where we go, we learn things from people of other lands. When we meet new friends living in difficult and challenging conditions, we are often inspired by their courage and resilience. In fact, we believe we could learn a LOT by walking alongside them.
During a typical week here in Louisville, Kentucky, I have the honor of playing soccer three times a week alongside dozens of internationals from all over the world.
Rene is a young El Salvadorian. He’s fast, he loves to attack, and shoots left-footed. He had no choice as to where he would be born. But what he HAS influenced is the energy he invests in soccer, his friends, and life in general. His smile is contagious. He’s a great friend and I long for him to know Jesus.
Alex is Haitian. He grew up in very poor and humble circumstances. But his unflappable peace and tranquility have taught me not to complain, regardless of the circumstances.
Ben is huge. He grew up on the very shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father was a preacher. Ben has a heart of gold. Some might look at Ben and see a black man. When I look at him, I see one of my best friends in the world.
These three and many others are my friends from around the world. Just because they grew up in humble circumstances, it doesn’t make them less qualified to play soccer with us. (In fact, Ben is one of the best players in the city.) Just because they grew up in what we consider poverty doesn’t mean they haven’t learned to treasure peace, hope, and love.
When we look at our fellow man, when we see humanity, can we learn to look past geography, past culture, and yes, even past “development,” and can we instead see a precious soul? And each precious soul deserves to be loved, deserves to have friends, deserves to know about life eternal.
The greatest social injustice of our time isn’t lack of clean water, or even lack of food. What we need to recapture and redistribute is the love of Jesus Christ for all humanity.
Will you join me in loving people from El Salvador, Haiti, and Africa? Help me send a loud and clear message to them: We humbly seek your forgiveness for anything we’ve ever said or done to hurt you.We are here beside you to reflect God’s love and share Christ’s Good News for all humanity.
May we live in such a way that they can see God in us.
