The Lostness of Humanity

I've been thinking a lot about our selfish, "me"-mentality when it comes to the gospel. Most of the thoughts stem from a lesson I taught to my Jr. Highers last week from 1 Timothy 2 where Paul says we should pray for ALL men, because God wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. God wants ALL men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. God wants to bestow His blessing and benefits and goodness and kindness on ALL men. Why is it, then, that I so rarely think about "all men"?  Why is it that we so often let the gospel stop with us? Why do we partake in the benefits and blessing of the gospel and neglect to share those blessings with others who so desperately need them? We forget that outside of our happy little Christian bubbles people are lost, confused, hurting, hungry, broken and blind. I live my happy little Christian life filled with joy and peace and purpose, and I completely forget that so many others continue on, wandering about in darkness, looking for a way out, only not quite sure where to find it. We don't think of the masses of humanity at the movie theater, or Six Flags, or the U2 concert as lost, as needy, as searching; but the truth of the matter is, they are.  Each face in the crowd represents a different story of dispair, of hopelessness, of confusion, of meaninglessness. We forget about the business executives wandering down Wall Street trying to fill their life with something that'll never satisfy them. We forget about the single girls who fill up the bars on Friday night trying to find "love". We forget that outside of our nice, warm, loving, God-centered family, that there are families filled with violence and hatred, and screaming and pain, because they know no other way. We assume that everyone's lives are as good as ours. But they're not. We assume that everyone has the peace, and joy, and purpose that we have. But they don't. We have something that other people do not have. We have been recipients of God's grace, and we enjoy special benefits and blessings that most others do not. We know who we are, why we're here, and where we are headed. But so many others do not know the answers to these most fundamental questions. We have answers that people need and the hope that people long for. So I'm issuing a call. This is a call to again see humanity's lostness...This is a call to again pray for their salvation...that God would mend their broken hearts the way he has mended mine and yours...and this is a call to not only be recipients of God's grace, but distributers of it. 

God speed, dear soldier.