Last week I shared how I took my family, as well as my brother-in-law and his family, for a refreshing trip out in the breathtaking natural surroundings of the Galilee. It was the perfect way to celebrate Palm Sunday, and to be close to the Lord out in His creation. It was a lovely day and we felt the Lord’s peace and joy in abundance as we rode through the Galilean hills in our motorized carts.
God always has good plans for us to shine His light and His love wherever we go, and as such, we met two other Israeli families during our time on this nature trail we were exploring. We immediately felt that this was a divine appointment, and so we reached out to these families with the love of Christ. One of the best ways for Arabs to reach out a hand of love to others is through a cup of freshly boiled Arabic coffee!
I took out my little gas stove and invited the Israeli families to join us for some fresh coffee. They were pleasantly surprised to see the warmth and love with which these Arab families were reaching out to them. Especially during these turbulent times in Israel, it is a special sight when Arabs and Jews connect on the heart level. I needed these precious people to see that the love of Christ is the way for Israelis to build a better future together, and to live in harmony and peace.
As we drank coffee together and shared some special Arab sweet treats, I thought about the question of whether Arabs and Jews can live together in peace. As I watched this new circle of friends, I decided that the answer is yes, we can live together in peace through the love of Jesus. There’s always a small minority of “bad apples” that creates the illusion that things are worse than they really are in Israel, but the reality is different in Israel.
After our time together one of the Jewish Israelis came to me and hugged me, and proclaimed what a wonderful and blessed time they had with us. They invited us to come and visit them and spend time together again. From this encounter, it was clear to me that when we show the love of Jesus, people’s minds and hearts are changed, and the seeds of transformation are sown.