Radical

It's half past nine and an orange haze soaks the sky above the fields. The change in scenery in the last twelve hours is notable: taken from the showering acid rain and multitudes of noisy taxis in Addis, Germany's quaint villages and rolling hills have welcomes me. I'm grateful to be back in clean air, though I admit that the silent solitude, cleanliness, and political correct-ness feels almost stuffy in comparison to the hustle and bustle of Addis. Though as I ride the train back to Herrnhut, more pressing are thoughts of how my life will change after three months in Ethiopia...

My mind races alongside the stone-steepled churches and farm-fields that speed by the window. What does it mean to radically obey Jesus' commands to love and serve? After spending these last months with the Jaja families, my life cannot go back to normal. I won't let it. But what does it mean to put aside lukewarm notions of following Jesus in order to radically obey what he commands? How do I really leave everything behind and choose to follow him? How do I love radically?

When Jesus sends out the twelve disciples, he tells them to take "no bag for the journey, or no extra tunic, or staff; for the worker is worth his keep" (Matt 10:9-10). Would if I arrived at college with nothing but the clothes on my back? Do I trust that G-d will provide if I "seek first his kingdom"? (Matt 6:33)

"Give! Give the love we have all received to those around you. Give until it hurts, because real love hurts. That is why you must love until it hurts." -Mother Theresa