Never, in all the years we’ve traveled, have I been so aware of people as on a recent trip Down Under.
Not that there are a lot of people in Australia.
- As of June 2023, the population was 26,638,544.
- As of June 2023, my home state of California had a population of 38,965,193.
- This means approximately thirty two percent fewer people live in all of Australia than in California.
My heightened awareness happened on the journey(s) in this New Year, beginning with airports. International terminals. Queueing with people in long, long lines in front of ticket counters, in long lines waiting to board planes, on planes nearly full to capacity, in long line lines around baggage claim carousels, and, of course, on the return journey, the long wait at customs.
I confess that, upon arriving home after these long trips—
- and beginning the tedious unpacking process,
- putting the first load of clothes in the washer, because, no matter if laundry was done before leaving the country just visited, it mysteriously multiplies before landing,
- making contact with the kids and grandkids, the most joyful thing about returning home,
- getting a pretend night’s jet lagged “sleep”—
- I just want to wake up, have a cup of real coffee (which does not seem to exist in Australia), close the door to my study, and not talk to anyone for a while.
This time–and this is the best way to describe the sense—there was a keen awareness of God’s gaze upon the people of the earth. The trip was an object lesson for me in this truth—that every single individual is known to Him—and loved.
Matthew 9:36 echoed in my mind throughout the trip:
When [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and exhausted, like sheep having no shepherd (NKJV).
He stills sees the multitudes, and He still has that profoundly moving compassion for them. People everywhere continue to be harassed by the cares of life and the work of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy.
The foundational work of the Christian is loving people. Can we, my wonderful readers, be even more conscious of our task—to see, to have compassion, to love the people around us like Jesus loves them—right on into His kingdom? Maybe this should be our motto for the year: Love like Jesus.