The biblical case for never giving up on a lost cause.

By Abraham Mulongo, Manager of the Mvule Community Development Program

My coworkers and I here at Kibo love to share the success stories in our partner villages. And there are a lot of success stories to share.

In our staff meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we share unique stories from our village visits, and I can tell you in all honesty that almost all of those stories are stories of success, growth, and transformation.

Of course, development work comes with a lot of challenges, too. Most of those challenges turn into success stories, thanks to the hard work and commitment of my coworkers. But sometimes, we encounter a village that is absolutely resistant to change — even if that change will improve the quality and longevity of their lives.

Sometimes, a village feels like a lost cause.

It is rare for us to work in a village like this, but it happens. And when it does, we have to make a really tough decision: Should we save money and time by abandoning a village that doesn’t really want us there, or should we pursue their wellbeing even if it risks “wasting” our resources?

There’s no uncomplicated or uncontroversial answer to this question. But when I look at Jesus, I think the answer is obvious.

The Bible is the story of God’s people rejecting God over and over again. We rejected God’s law. We rejected God’s prophets. We rejected God’s Son. Even when we choose to worship God and follow Jesus, we still can’t stop sinning.

We continue to reject God, even when we don’t want to.

We are all a lost cause. And yet God patiently pursues us. Jesus patiently pursues us. The Spirit patiently pursues us. Purely out of love for us, the Lord is patient with us and pursues a relationship with us.

As followers of Jesus and believers in God, I believe we are called to love our neighbors with this same kind of patience. Paul tells us repeatedly in Scripture that patience is one of the most important ways we show love to our neighbors. In Ephesians, Paul urges us to live in a way that is worthy of God’s calling:

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV)

In the love passage of 1 Corinthians 13, patience is the first description Paul chooses for love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

And in Galatians, Paul lists patience as one of the fruits of the Spirit, ranking it among the most important qualities in a Jesus-shaped and Spirit-led life:

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”

Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSV)

Patience is absolutely necessary to the Christian life. And that is no less true for a Christian organization like Kibo than it is for a Christian individual.

I don’t think any of Kibo’s five programs need quite as much patience as we need in the Mvule Community Development program, of which I am the manager. Over the years, Kibo has honed my patience. Sometimes I fall short, and I’m not patient enough. But when I remember God’s patience with me, I remember that being patient with struggling people in struggling villages is one way that I am being Jesus to my neighbor.

No matter how difficult a village is, I believe we should never give up on those we love, and as Christians, we are called to love our neighbor and our enemy alike.

I want to see the people in Kibo’s partner villages thrive: to live in a clean environment, to have access to fresh water, to enjoy a stove that keeps them healthy and safe, to get the education they need and deserve, to not die of preventable diseases, to draw closer to God, to care for their land and their people, and to experience economic flourishing.

When we encounter villages that struggle to take the steps for a better life, I ask myself, what would Jesus do? I know what the answer to that question is, because I was once struggling myself. I realize that no matter how much patience we have or how long we pursue, some villages may not respond to what Kibo has to offer. But I also know this: Jesus didn’t give up on me, but instead pursued me with a whole lot of love and patience.

Patient pursuit. That’s Jesus’ way. And we’ve tried to make that the Kibo Way, too.

This article was also published here by The Journey Church.