Conversation #3 is up and running. This time we hear from Sarah Conway, a college student at Kent State. Sarah’s heart for those in need has lead her to her major as well as direction for the future. Read and learn from Sarah!
Name: Sarah Conway
Age: 21
Location: Cleveland, OH
Professionally/Educationally: Human Development & Family Studies major / intern with Children’s Hope International
E-mail: sconway1@kent.edu
Talk about your current circumstances and how you try and intentionally put yourself in last place? What have been some of the biggest challenges? How have you seen Life come through these attempts (both personally and with others)?
I am currently in my last year at Kent State University with an internship and a job that takes up a nice portion of my time and energy. I have a lot of friends who are non-believers who I just try to spend time with and show them the love that Jesus has for them. My goal is just to be genuine with the people I encounter and to care about the needs that they have in their life. I think that one of the biggest challenges in living this way is just the ‘me first’ attitude of the culture that we live in. Everyone has the things that they need to accomplish, and busy schedules and it takes away time to sit with someone who is hurting or to help someone out. It takes extra time and energy to put someone else’s needs before your own. I think that a lot of times life just seems easier if we are to focus on me and ignore some of the situations that we see others in.
Jesus says “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” When you read these words do you see them as relevant for today? What do you think Jesus is calling us to here and how does it work out today?
I think that this is the most fulfilling and beautiful way in which a person can live their life. We are called to be obedient to Christ and to serve the ones that He loves. Jesus is calling us to be His hands and feet, and to work our hardest to serve as He served. Jesus is the ultimate first place, but he came to earth and intentionally put Himself in last place to serve the unworthy. I think that today we need to evaluate what the goals we have made for ourselves are, and if they are pleasing to God. Whatever possessions, recognition, or status we are working towards will not last forever. Are our actions today displaying God’s love for His children? We need to be aware that God loves all of His children; we should not be creating some sort of ranking system because we are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God. We are called to be selfless and to put the needs of others in front of our own.
Talk about one way that you see Jesus demonstrating this kind of living? Why does that stand out to you? How does it apply to the circumstances you find yourself in today?
Jesus demonstrated this kind of living His entire life. He lived his whole life in last place and humbled himself and became obedient to death for the salvation of all. Jesus loved the unlovely and sat with the hurting. He wasn’t concerned with an image or any sort of personal gain from his actions. This applies to the circumstances we find ourselves in today because I think we are all concerned with how others view us. I think that it is really easy to talk yourself out of reaching out to someone that you feel drawn to because you might make a fool out of yourself. I’ve felt this way too many times, and I just have to realize that it’s silly for me to be so concerned with how a stranger might view me. I think that today it is so important just to be bold in our actions and unashamed in what we believe.
Tell us a little bit about your journey towards living in last place in your everyday life. (have you always lived this way, what caused you to live this way, how did you start applying this concept to your job, neighborhood, family, free time)
I would say that my journey towards living in last place really started a few years ago when I took my first trip to Mozambique. At the time I was a college drop out with very little direction for my future. I witnessed the pure joy and love in the people there despite the fact that they had almost no material possessions; all they had was their faith. I realized that the things our culture tells us that we should be pursuing weren’t the things I wanted to be seeking for my life. I felt that once I stopped searching so hard and just became obedient that the things in my life just fell into place. Once I got over myself and doing things on my own and just humbled myself it felt like all the missing pieces were filled in. After being in a place where people have nothing and witnessing a whole different way of living life, I was forced to look really closely at how I was living and was shocked at what I was making most important in my own life. My heart was changed a lot and I really just wanted to start making other people my focus and to put them before myself.
Living this way is not easy and very often we choose not to live in last place. What are some key truths that you hold onto when you feel like you are failing at living this way?
When I feel like I am failing at living in last place I just have to remind myself that no one is perfect and the truth is that we are all going to fail, a lot! I am a sinner and I will inevitably fail. I am going to be selfish at times and want to do things for myself. However, all of us have been blessed to live in America where we have so many resources at our finger tips. It is up to us to use the resources that we have been given. We have the opportunity to make choices that so many people in the world don’t. One of the things that I like to always keep in mind is that ‘when much is given, much will be required.’ Also, one of my favorite verses that I keep in mind is 1 John 3:18: ‘…let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.’ It’s really easy to get discouraged, there are people around me who tell me that I can’t make a difference, that the only people who can are those with money. Maybe my actions are not going to impact the world, but my actions can impact someone’s world. God can change someone’s life through you.
Dream a little bit with us. What do you think would happen if more people embraced this way of living? How would that affect the Church? How would impact communities?
One of the things that really bothers me is when I hear people putting so much of their energy into arguing about how and why their church is better for one reason or another. If more people started embracing this way of living the Church would become more cohesive. The Church is not a whole bunch of different buildings consisting of the different members, but the followers of Jesus all throughout the world. If you say you love Jesus, this is the way in which you should be striving to live. We are one Body that shouldn’t be fighting against one another. If more people embraced this way of living the Church would not only grow but strengthen, nothing but good can come from living this way.
Any last words to further the conversation?
FIND SOMETHING YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT!!
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I think this movement is huge. I am in love with it, and it is so great because before the series even began God convicted me, and the question that was always in my head was, “How can I become the most selfless person.”,,,,then at 707 the following week that is what we’re talking about…anyways….i think this whole late place people things has a lot to do with relationships, real, genuine relationships. I think too often we’re scared to enter into authentic friendships with those around us. When we are real with one another, we carry each other’s burdens, and rejoice when one another is rejoicing. Real relationships is hard work, no doubt…but they’re so worth it! I think sometimes, we aren’t willing to give all it takes to truely know the heart of each other….and perhaps if we stopped for a moment and DID put ourselves last, we’d see that there are people who are searching for something that we, being IN CHRIST has to offer. I think the whole concept of real and authentic relationships is something that everyone must grasp. It seems so easy, but so many of us are afraid of it..whether this be casual friendship, or intimacy…it has got to be real!