In the gospel of John Jesus said, “All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am.”

This phrase caught my attention: “My servants must be where I am.”

I realize that most of the time I’m asking Jesus to be where I am. Here, he’s asking me to be where he is … that is, to go where he goes.

Where does Jesus go? We learn from the gospels that he goes to the lonely, the hurt, and the oppressed. He’s with those struggling with defeat and yearning for victory. He’s with those who have nowhere else to turn.

And that’s where he wants us to be.

We are “where he is” when we encourage the discouraged. We go where he goes when we reach out to the disenchanted and the disenfranchised, when we express love, mercy and compassion to others. This is what Mother Teresa referred to as reaching out to Christ “in all his distressing disguises.”

Jesus reminded us, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

He is waiting to meet you today, sometimes in a distressing disguise. Look for opportunities today to express his love and to reveal his grace. — SM