The least of these

Today I had a perfect New Orleans morning. I met some out of town visitors at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee, walked on the river, prayed at the Cathedral, shared a muff, and walked around the quarter a bit. I was walking with 2 teenage girls and one of their grandfathers. It was fun showing them around, however the grandfather had a lot of questions for me about New Orleans and why anyone would want to come back here with all the crime, and global warming means more hurricanes, and it just seems like every else is better than here. I tried, not so sucessfully I'm afraid, to communicate to him why people here keep coming back. I gave him all the reasons I could muster: it's home to us, there's crime everywhere not just here, people here really are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, there are natural disaster everywhere. I went on and on. It's just now that I'm writing this that I realize that somethings in life don't make any sense- there not supposed to. That grandpa is right- it makes perfect sense to leave all this behind and never look back. But here's the thing:

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:37-40

Being a Christian isn't about doing what makes sense. I love New Orleans and want to come back here because I am convinceed that the world we live in can be a different place, and it will be someday because of people who love the Lord and who make hard choices, who let Jesus mess up thier plans, and who follow His commands when it doesn't make sense.