What were you doing?

At 6am this morning (well, 6am if you live in Indiana) while you were sleeping, the people you see in this picture were standing in a long line in the sun, hoping that what awaited at the other end would lead to a job. Not a career that would bring about passion, excitement to get up in the morning and the means to fulfill at least some of the other passions we have in life. Simply a job that would provide them a means for living for 5 weeks and maybe a bit beyond. World Changers has spent the past several days assisting a staffing agency with filling a recent mass number of job openings. Today we were at the agency helping to get people registered in order to make the process easier for the staffing agency that will actually place them. This involved standing in the sun for hours handing out forms and educating those who didn't know on what World Changers is all about. At the beginning of our time there, when I was realizing just what a hot day it was going to be I started complaining a bit in my head. "This is going to be a long day in the hot sun. I'm going to be so burned." Then I got a nice little reminder from God. All these people were going to have to suffer in the sun so they could get a job. Why did I think I was above suffering with them? After all, when Isaiah 58 calls me to "loose the chains of injustice...set the oppressed free...and to satisfy the needs of the oppressed", it doesn't add the caveat "And ye shall work for the unjustly treated and oppressed but only to the extent that you would like to suffer. Thou shalt feel free to quit the work when ye are getting a bit too uncomfortable". That made a huge difference in my attitude for the day. God, help it to stick.