From the Outside Looking In
When you can't reach into the heart of someone and shake them awake, it's beyond painful. When you can't just speak truth to someone and make them see it for themselves, it's such an empty feeling. It's hard to keep hope alive and hold onto it until they eventually see it. It's hard to think that anything will ever change for people you'd do anything to save. People you don't even know--but the simple fact that the actions in their city shows that human life has lost its place as the most valuable thing in our world, and everything in you wants them to see it for what it has become.
This is where I stand: I am on the outside looking in on the City of Chicago by way of reading story after story about the lives of the kids in those streets coming to a violently abrupt end. These kids who leave behind the hearts of their parents and siblings in complete brokenness and never ending pain over the loss of their child, or brother or sister. These kids should know, though, that there are others who want them to understand that their lives are so valuable. These kids that are out there killing other kids should know that they have been walking in evil, and there is nothing good that will come from it. The darkness and the Light cannot come together--they will always be separated. These kids that think they have the right to kill other kids need to know that their life matters and it isn't too late to see that. So many have already seen it, but they're not around to share their stories and realities with these kids because that's what evil does--it isolates you into a place of thinking that you're different, your life has nothing left in it to live for and all the money and violence is what hand you've been dealt. You think that just because you've got a skin color that matches that of the majority of people you live around, then you're supposed to just follow suit with those who live the life of the streets and bring death to all those around them.
The fact is that God is seeking after you and He wants to show you the life He made you to live. Every single one of you that walks in those Chicago streets seeking to kill, steal, and destroy has a different life that God made just for you. He formed everything about you--even before the beginning of time He knew who He made you to be and God does not make mistakes. You are not a mistake. The reality is He's made you qualified to go and live a completely different life in His purpose because you have faced and walked in the ways of the enemy, and to now show that God's authority over you is greater than he who is in the world will glorify God even more so than before. The fact is that you haven't lost all your chances to turn away and walk toward God. And the even bigger fact is that God is right where you are, wherever you're at, He is waiting for you to turn to Him and want the life He has for you. You are not what other people say you are. You are perfectly made by God and loved so much that Jesus Christ defeated death in order to bring you back to God. You have been bought with the price of death so that you don't have to die. You don't have to keep walking the way you've been going. You can cry out to Jesus right where you are and ask Him to save you from yourself. You don't know the best way for you to go, and you don't know what the best outcome for your life is. But, I guarantee you it isn't in those streets of Chicago--I guarantee you it isn't in carrying a gun with you thinking that killing other kids is part of your purpose in life. I guarantee you that just because you're connected to people who carry death as a reward, that doesn't mean it's true. And I know this because the only rewarding death was that of Jesus on the cross as He died for my sins and yours. He died so you and I don't have to--even though we deserved it and He didn't!! But that's the love He has for you and me. And I'm telling you, the love of Jesus Christ is waiting for you to seek and ask for. It isn't about getting into church, it isn't about lighting a candle, it isn't about a ritual of anything--it's about the love of God for you through Jesus Christ and asking Him to take your life out of your hands (since we don't know how to live it anyway) and do with it as He sees best. And because He loves you and wants the very best for you, it's the best trade you'll ever make. It's way better than any gamble you'll make while in your groups in the streets of Chicago. It's better than any robbery, or killing you'll ever make to gain the praise of those around you who do not care one ounce for your well being.
I know it's hard to see it from your viewpoint, but I'm telling you, from the outside looking in, you're in a perfect place for saving. Don't come into agreement with anything that doesn't line up with what God says about you. Don't come into agreement with anyone who tells you to seek out violence, or any other type of law violating actions. Those people do not love you and you were made to be loved. You are loved by the Lord of all creation, and He will gladly welcome you into His love if you should decide to turn and ask Him to.
So many people will gladly help you make a new go at life--Pastor Choco at New Life Church in Humboldt Park will gladly explain to you the absolute love of Jesus Christ. He is there for you, and he can guide you to others who will gladly come around you and support your decision to make a new life with God. It so POSSIBLE for you to do this--to entirely change your life for the better. The money, the reputation, the title, the position, the power and whatever else you get from living the street life will all vanish instantly when your life does end. And you'll have nothing but complete separation from God and anything good. Because, as I said earlier, the darkness and the Light will always be separate; they cannot reside together. The Light will always win though. The darkness will always hold death and everything that God is not. You will be destroyed by the evil in this world, and will always be separated from anything good. And I know that you're tempted to say, "I don't need anything good--I'm good without all that." But without that physical need of being in chaos, I guarantee you would rather be in something good and good for you. You feel like you accomplish something when you're in the streets, and that makes it feel like you're in your position. But that's a lie. If it's not accomplishing something good, then it will be lost and you'll just continue to seek out something that will never fill the void in you that can only be filled by God. When you know who you are--when you know that you belong to God and that your life was created by Him, you'll start to see how nothing in your life lines up with anything about you. And the reason for that is God made you in a way that lines up with His purpose for you. So when you dig down deep and think back to what you're really about and what you really like to do, and not concentrate on that poison that people have fed you and got you addicted to thinking is true, you'll see that you've been lost in that mess. You've gone so far from where you were meant to be.
Return to God. Go to Pastor Choco and tell him you want to know the love of Jesus. I'm not on the outside looking in because we're so different. I'm on the outside because I live somewhere else and am still very aware of the obvious loss of the value of life in the streets of Chicago. It's because I see the lies that you've bought into and the attack that's overwhelming you. But I'm here to say that you aren't invisible and God sees you, and He's inviting you to come to Him. He wants you to come to Him and experience the life He has for you.
This is where I stand: I am on the outside looking in on the City of Chicago by way of reading story after story about the lives of the kids in those streets coming to a violently abrupt end. These kids who leave behind the hearts of their parents and siblings in complete brokenness and never ending pain over the loss of their child, or brother or sister. These kids should know, though, that there are others who want them to understand that their lives are so valuable. These kids that are out there killing other kids should know that they have been walking in evil, and there is nothing good that will come from it. The darkness and the Light cannot come together--they will always be separated. These kids that think they have the right to kill other kids need to know that their life matters and it isn't too late to see that. So many have already seen it, but they're not around to share their stories and realities with these kids because that's what evil does--it isolates you into a place of thinking that you're different, your life has nothing left in it to live for and all the money and violence is what hand you've been dealt. You think that just because you've got a skin color that matches that of the majority of people you live around, then you're supposed to just follow suit with those who live the life of the streets and bring death to all those around them.
The fact is that God is seeking after you and He wants to show you the life He made you to live. Every single one of you that walks in those Chicago streets seeking to kill, steal, and destroy has a different life that God made just for you. He formed everything about you--even before the beginning of time He knew who He made you to be and God does not make mistakes. You are not a mistake. The reality is He's made you qualified to go and live a completely different life in His purpose because you have faced and walked in the ways of the enemy, and to now show that God's authority over you is greater than he who is in the world will glorify God even more so than before. The fact is that you haven't lost all your chances to turn away and walk toward God. And the even bigger fact is that God is right where you are, wherever you're at, He is waiting for you to turn to Him and want the life He has for you. You are not what other people say you are. You are perfectly made by God and loved so much that Jesus Christ defeated death in order to bring you back to God. You have been bought with the price of death so that you don't have to die. You don't have to keep walking the way you've been going. You can cry out to Jesus right where you are and ask Him to save you from yourself. You don't know the best way for you to go, and you don't know what the best outcome for your life is. But, I guarantee you it isn't in those streets of Chicago--I guarantee you it isn't in carrying a gun with you thinking that killing other kids is part of your purpose in life. I guarantee you that just because you're connected to people who carry death as a reward, that doesn't mean it's true. And I know this because the only rewarding death was that of Jesus on the cross as He died for my sins and yours. He died so you and I don't have to--even though we deserved it and He didn't!! But that's the love He has for you and me. And I'm telling you, the love of Jesus Christ is waiting for you to seek and ask for. It isn't about getting into church, it isn't about lighting a candle, it isn't about a ritual of anything--it's about the love of God for you through Jesus Christ and asking Him to take your life out of your hands (since we don't know how to live it anyway) and do with it as He sees best. And because He loves you and wants the very best for you, it's the best trade you'll ever make. It's way better than any gamble you'll make while in your groups in the streets of Chicago. It's better than any robbery, or killing you'll ever make to gain the praise of those around you who do not care one ounce for your well being.
I know it's hard to see it from your viewpoint, but I'm telling you, from the outside looking in, you're in a perfect place for saving. Don't come into agreement with anything that doesn't line up with what God says about you. Don't come into agreement with anyone who tells you to seek out violence, or any other type of law violating actions. Those people do not love you and you were made to be loved. You are loved by the Lord of all creation, and He will gladly welcome you into His love if you should decide to turn and ask Him to.
So many people will gladly help you make a new go at life--Pastor Choco at New Life Church in Humboldt Park will gladly explain to you the absolute love of Jesus Christ. He is there for you, and he can guide you to others who will gladly come around you and support your decision to make a new life with God. It so POSSIBLE for you to do this--to entirely change your life for the better. The money, the reputation, the title, the position, the power and whatever else you get from living the street life will all vanish instantly when your life does end. And you'll have nothing but complete separation from God and anything good. Because, as I said earlier, the darkness and the Light will always be separate; they cannot reside together. The Light will always win though. The darkness will always hold death and everything that God is not. You will be destroyed by the evil in this world, and will always be separated from anything good. And I know that you're tempted to say, "I don't need anything good--I'm good without all that." But without that physical need of being in chaos, I guarantee you would rather be in something good and good for you. You feel like you accomplish something when you're in the streets, and that makes it feel like you're in your position. But that's a lie. If it's not accomplishing something good, then it will be lost and you'll just continue to seek out something that will never fill the void in you that can only be filled by God. When you know who you are--when you know that you belong to God and that your life was created by Him, you'll start to see how nothing in your life lines up with anything about you. And the reason for that is God made you in a way that lines up with His purpose for you. So when you dig down deep and think back to what you're really about and what you really like to do, and not concentrate on that poison that people have fed you and got you addicted to thinking is true, you'll see that you've been lost in that mess. You've gone so far from where you were meant to be.
Return to God. Go to Pastor Choco and tell him you want to know the love of Jesus. I'm not on the outside looking in because we're so different. I'm on the outside because I live somewhere else and am still very aware of the obvious loss of the value of life in the streets of Chicago. It's because I see the lies that you've bought into and the attack that's overwhelming you. But I'm here to say that you aren't invisible and God sees you, and He's inviting you to come to Him. He wants you to come to Him and experience the life He has for you.