Optional mandatory.

In high school, we used to occasionally have basketball practices that could not, due to high school basketball rules, be called mandatory. So, the simple solution to that for the coach? Call them optional, and let it be known with some subtle hints (large intimidating smiles) and not-so-subtle hints ("Soooo, you guys should be at practice...if you're smart") that the practices were necessary if you wanted to play an integral part on the team. We called this clever strategy "optional mandatory ." However, even though I wasn't always the most enthusiastic about going into those practices, I knew that I needed to be there to both improve and be a big part of the team's success. Additionally, the practices were simply necessary in getting us ready for the upcoming games and making us better.

God's been doing that same thing with my views on poverty, serving others, and what Jesus calls me to do on this planet. I always kind of knew that working with the poor was something I should probably do, but I never had a solidified idea of what "seeking justice" (Isaiah 1:17) actually meant (How much work did that require? Who does that include? Can I do that after med school?). I mean, do I really have to do that, though? After all, some of that seeking justice stuff is pretty difficult and uncomfortable. Over the past few years, though, God has been the best coach of all time, making me realize that if I really want to be a key part of the team and love Him more, I don't have much of a choice. Loving more of the poor, the widows, and the refugees and loving less of comfort and my personal bubble is to be my goal, which just so happens to be Jesus' goal. Convenient, huh?

The idea started in Ethiopia three summers ago and it has been stirring in me ever since. The idea that a love of Christ breeds a love of serving others and caring for those who are rarely cared for. The idea that what God considers a pure and faultless religious attitude includes looking after orphan and widow in their distress (James 1:27).

The idea that the American Dream is the rest of the world's nightmare. And God isn't okay with that.

And that idea is scary. That idea makes me uncomfortable. That idea has an impact on everything: the way I use my money, the way I view my future career, the woman I marry, where I live, and how I see people who are very different than I am. That idea leaves a nervous, excited feeling in my stomach...much like at the top of a wonderful rollercoaster. So what do I call God's command to serve the poor and love the unloved, wherever I am in life?

Optional mandatory.

Sure, I could go about my business, tossing a couple of dollars at the homeless man on the corner...but failing to learn his story. I could pray that God sends others to work in the inner cities and improve conditions, knowing full well that God is calling me. But really? I can't. If I'm actually learning from the Bible, I can't turn away from the person who just lost their home, their spouse, or parents. I can't ignore those who are hungry and in need, whether that be the person on 1st Avenue or the person across the street.

I pray that if the time ever comes where I'm satisfied with keeping the poor, widowed, orphaned, etc. at arm's length, God robs my back pocket, kicks me out of my home, and puts me in their shoes anyways.