Walkers.in.Africa

EXPRESSION

“Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”

1 John 4:11-12

We did ministry in a hospital today, I can try to paint a picture for you, but I feel I will fail miserably. Please take the picture of a hospital out of your mind. Picture more like one room full of iron cribs, kids of all ages … some on their deathbeds some with just a cold.

When you recognize Jesus your immediate reaction is to send word to others, bringing Jesus to them.I recognized Him in the burning feverish little hands, in the thin smiles. I heard Him saying, “Let the children come to me!” and I knew He was right there in the hospital … through His goodness allowing me to be the actions and reality of the love of Jesus.

I came up to a mother who was holding her baby and something was obviously dreadfully wrong. The baby was stretched out, stiff as a board. Her body was swollen from needle pricks and bubbles foamed around her mouth. The baby moaned and shook and the mother tenderly pressed the stiff form against her own tired body. I sat down next to the distraught woman. She told me that she had been there for over a month, even sleeping on the hard floor next to her baby. I looked at her and said, “How are you feeling?” Those four simple words broke down the walls and the emotion stirred on her face.

The LORD expressed His love to her through me. He told her He hadn't forgotten her, He told her she didn't  have enough strength for her baby … but He did … He had MORE than enough.  He was there, He was hugging her and holding her and speaking against the lies, fears, and doubts the enemy had been trying to plant in her soul.He led her to Himself, the Rock that was higher than the sea of difficulties that threatened to beat her down. He reassured her again and again that He not only saw her where she was, but He was there and had never once walked away. He knew her pain better than she did and He loved her baby more than she could ever hope to.

Let me tell you, it is so hard to be the expression to Christ to a hurting world and people in circumstances that I don't understand. There is always emotion behind the expression. When He moves in compassion through you it hurts ... it is rewarding ... but it still hurts. I had only a glimpse of the fierce expression of His love for people and it completely overwhelmed me.

God is fiercely in love with you and watches over you as fervently as a desperate mother over a helpless child. He is warring for your soul as a warrior wars for his loved ones. He is expressing His love in even the smallest details and He is right here, RIGHT NOW.

**Photos by Ashley Bridges

                                                                                           

Last week we met with all of our teachers, 10 women who pour into over 100 children’s lives daily. Okay, I spend 4 hours at the school with the teacher’s help and I’m exhausted. But these women faithfully serve, faithfully love, faithfully pour into the children’s lives … I look up to them!

Teacher Rebecca at first glance would be thought of as quiet, and that she is. She is a woman of few words but when she speaks you are drawn, not won over by persuasive words but by her deep convictions and love for Jesus. In our meeting she shared the devotional which moved and challenged me:

The Heart of Jesus – Children

“In Mark 9 and 10 we read that Jesus was compassionate for children and often used them to illustrate His own heart. It shows us that without His heart, you will lack in dedication, commitment and putting the life of the most insignificant child about yours, and you will lack the understanding in what Jesus’ heart felt for the children, and His compassion for tomorrow’s generation.

This is the prayer I pray every morning before I go teach:

I will be patient, kind, loving, and tolerant. I will not at any time shout or lose my temper with the children God has put into my care. I will be understanding and put the children first in everything. I will do whatever is necessary to teach the children in exciting and an enjoyable manner, even if it means making a fool of myself. I will not be nervous, but I will be in control and relax and enjoy myself as much as the children do. I understand that I am here to teach to a new generation who will trust in what I say and take it as truth. I will not be threatened in any way by the untamed action of the children under my God given authority. I will be bold and strong in the statements that I make when I know the absolute truth about that subject. I will not raise my hand in any form of anger towards a child but will show only love, even in discipline. I am raising up a strong and powerful children, those who will run ahead of me.”

What about Jesus’ heart for YOU? I've asked myself, “If not us, who will show Jesus to the least of these?”  But then, who are we to even say, “Least of these”? Yes, these kids in the squatter camp may appear as the “least of these” with their bare feet, hungry tummies, dirty clothes, snotty noses, and starving for love grip holds on your legs. But really, that is what my soul is like without Jesus: Bare, hungry, dirty, sick and starving for love. Jesus died for the world, we are all the “least of these”. Jesus became human and entered into our filth and He went beyond that, He BECAME sin. HE BECAME THE “LEAST OF THESE” and He died. PUTTING TO DEATH our bare, hungry, dirty, sick, starving sins and He ROSE AGAIN, bringing His life to fill the void of the emptiness that our souls have always longed for.

I've literally danced my socks off a few times here in South Africa. Why? It started with a question and ended with an answer. The emotion left couldn't be expressed in words … so I danced.

My question: Would Jesus be enough for me? If He took away my very words, my ambitions, everything I hold dear, even the dreams of my own that I deem “worthy” … would He really, really be enough for me? When every earthly passion that steals me away is gone, leaving a broken and beating heart … would I still be in Love with Christ?

He created me to be free, free in Him. Yes He gave me freedom of choice but knows that my spirit can only truly be free and soar when it is placed in the hands of the One who created it and breathed it into existence.

The answer: Jesus lives to make intercession for me, His spirit bearing witness with mine that Jesus is MORE THAN ENOUGH for me:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

-Romans 8:15-16

I’m Your child. You see me when my eyes are downcast. You know my feelings when I think I have nothing left to feel. You know the dreams that I held on to too tightly or pushed away or tried to make completely my own. You didn't shrug Your shoulders. You still created me even when You knew to give me life would be at the cost of Your Son’s. BUT You created me and You relentlessly pursue with arms open wide.

You desire truth in my inmost being. You are truth. Through Jesus I am valued and honored and You Love me. You remain the same and are always here.

And so my beating heart still sings-

“Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know

That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours”