"You folks are profoundly abnormal," Todd Henry told a room full of IAFR leaders. "The metrics for measuring results in resolving the challenges you are up against are insurmountable, but you run toward the fire anyway."

Gathered for our annual leadership development training in Michigan, we spent several days discussing leadership and how to form goals and sustain growth in challenging contexts with often limited resources.

Jesus' Normal

Sitting with my fellow leaders this past week, discussing how we can continue our work amidst the skyrocketing global displacement crisis, I realized Todd's "profoundly abnormal" comment summarized what Jesus described in Matthew 25 as his "normal" expectations that would identify his followers.

Because That's What He Did

As followers of Jesus, it's supposed to be normal to care for the marginalized, feed the hungry, shelter the stranger, and be present in the suffering of the vulnerable because that's what Jesus did. And that's why we do what we do because we are followers of Jesus.

Despite impossible odds and insurmountable needs, we remember that when we do it for one of these brothers and sisters, our neighbors, we do it for Jesus. And there isn't a higher honor than being allowed to serve Him as He first served us.

Photo: Author and speaker Todd Henry invested in our leadership this month.