Africa is where some of God's most precious treasure is. It is where some of His fingerprints can be seen most clearly. It is where the most obvious pieces of His heart are visible to those who are looking for Him. He is seen in the faces of people, in the smiles of children, in the sunsets at exactly 6:45pm and in the farms that grow by His grace.
When I think back over my summer, the people who made the deepest impression on me were not the ones deemed most powerful or influential by society (though we were blessed by them too) but children we formed relationships with. I have been deeply humbled by the kids that I met.
These children have taught me so much about the way that Jesus loves. For when I was a stranger, they invited me into their village and played with me. When I did not speak their language, they patiently answered the questions I presented in broken Gonja. When I was dirty, they took the little water they had and washed my hands and feet. When they didn’t even know my name, they led me by the hand to their circle of friends. When they saw scrapes on my arm they pat them sympathetically, even though the gashes in their legs are far worse than mine. If my clothes are dusty they quickly brush the dirt off for me, even though most of them aren’t even wearing anything. If they are sitting on a bench they will sit on the dirt and ask me to take their seat. If they see me biking, they will bike with me for miles just to be near me.
These children have challenged my heart in a far deeper way than I ever thought possible.
For they are far better at being like Jesus than I am.
I have nothing to offer them, no reason why they should associate with me, yet they love me with a love that chases our van down the dirt road just so that they can hold my hand a few second longer through the window.
Because of these little friends who shared the gloriousness of Jesus' love with me, I have returned to America far richer than when I left. And as much as I would like to go back and continue to celebrate the deep love of our King with them, I know that the influence of these children was created to reach far more people than just me, those in their village, or even in Africa. Following Christ's pattern, they have shared this blessing with me so that I may bless others in the same way. As they lavished Jesus' love on me, so we are to pour out His unrelentless, unbridled, unashamed love onto all we come into contact with regardless of anything that tells us otherwise.
What kind of a King is outside of every social prejudice, every country and has placed His fingerprints all around the world? What kind of a King would place the most beautiful parts of Himself in the seemingly smallest and weakest? A simply glorious King. A King whose glory transcends all understanding.
"This is my commandment: love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command…This is my command: Love each other…." ~ John 15:12, 17
"He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such children in my name welcomes me…See to it that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven". ~Matthew 18: 1-5, 10
What kind of a King is outside of every social prejudice, every country and has placed His fingerprints all around the world? What kind of a King would place the most beautiful parts of Himself in the seemingly smallest and weakest? A simply glorious King. A King whose glory transcends all understanding.
"This is my commandment: love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command…This is my command: Love each other…." ~ John 15:12, 17
"He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such children in my name welcomes me…See to it that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven". ~Matthew 18: 1-5, 10
No comments:
Post a Comment