To Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever

-
My time in Walvis Bay has been a time full of self reflection and alone time with God. It is much harder to build relationships with those that I work with here but there are still many opportunities to show Gods love to people. 

Relationships at JP Brand were much easier because the children were so desperate for love and affection and returned it back to us abundantly. However, my time in Walvis has shown me that even those that are difficult to love, like the kids at the orphanage and even my own teammates at times, are just as special in Gods eyes. 

This trip has been different from my expectations because I think that I selfishly wanted to have God do great things through me. I wanted to see lots of results and feel better about myself because I was making an impact. However, I am beginning to realize that God has mostly just used me to plant seeds throughout this trip. 

We had the amazing chance to go back to the desert this week for a cultural exchange. The chief of the Topnaar tribe was supposed to come but did not make it. I wasn't sure that I would ever have the chance to go back to the school so I was so excited, but also a bit nervous about how the kids would react to us being there. When we pulled up, Patrick honked the horn and all of the kids came running up to our car. Tears came to my eyes and I started crying because I felt so loved as I gave hugs to all of the girls that I had fallen in love with. 

Something awesome that has happened is that at least five of the older girls have been born again since our team left the desert. I was so excited to hear that, but it made me question if I had done enough while I was there. Did I miss out in something God wanted me to share? I believe that God has showed me though that it's not about who led them to Christ but the fact that they now know the truth. I also believe that God used me to plant some of the seeds in their lives that were harvested later on.  

It was awesome to see the change in these girls even in the short time I was there. They wanted me to show them my favorite verse and they shared theirs as well. Kylla and Mchlean are also prefects so they have a lot of influence with the younger kids at the school. There was a definite softening in both of them and we celebrated the fact that we are now sisters and will certainly see each other again one day. 

I just pray that I will be able to make God's glory known and not my own. It's not about the results that I see but about whether I am faithful to do what God is asking of me. The Westminister catechism says that our purpose here on earth is "to glorify God and enjoy him forever." A verse that has really stuck out to me lately is John 7:

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. (John 7:18 NIV)

I pray that with every day my motivation will not be to build up myself but to make God's glory known just as Jesus did. I pray that my words will not be my own but that they will be His words. And I also pray that I will not love with my imperfect human love but with His love. Thanks again for your prayers and support!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

True Community

-
As of today, there are only two more weeks until I go for training in Indiana before leaving for Africa! I have been spending the past few days getting to know my team better and praying that God would knit our hearts together. He is also showing me more and more about the significance of community in my life and the body of Christ.  This morning in my quiet time, I was reading about the Tower of Babel. It was as though God highlighted these words for me: "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them " Gen. 11:6 If these words were true in a negative sense then how much more in a positive one! When we are "speaking the same language," we can accomplish anything! Now I don't think that this means we all need to go out and learn French or Japanese, but it's about learning how to love one another and join together with a common purpose.  A New Testament example of this is found
Read more

God Is Always Present, So Why Don't We Always Sense His Presence?

-
I wrote about God's presence a while ago and I was just thinking about how just because we cannot feel God's presence, does not make him any less present. Instead, it is the awareness of God's presence that changes things. When we have our attention fully focused on him, our eyes on him and are seeking him, he shows up, whether in church or in a dump. Oftentimes, I will put the pressure on myself, saying, "well, I must not be seeking hard enough, or surely I would find Him" but I do not think this is how He intended it to be. All we have to do I believe is to put our attention on Him and He will do the rest. This stuff is not difficult in theory, but with all of the daily distractions we face, it is not easy to put into practice. Having a quiet time does not get us points with God, neither does going to church. It is more like a married couple that sets up date nights. This is obviously not the only time they spend together, but is a time when the couple can f
Read more

Scavenger Hunts and Surprises

-
One of my favorite memories happened when I was six and my mom sent me on a scavenger hunt through town. She gave me the first clue at home and then proceeded to take me around town with clue after clue! One clue led me to an apple in a neighbors mailbox. We went to the post office, library and Books-a-million and probably a couple other places that have escaped my memory!  We found a couple of carrots at another friends house. Eventually we got in the car with the final clue and my mom was trying to get me to guess our destination. I think I had figured out by that point that where we were going had something to do with horses, but I remember trying to guess what that was. The zoo, a horse race, I can only imagine what my six year old brain came up with. That treasure hunt led to my first riding lesson and ever since, horses have been a healing part of my life, which even became a part of my work!  The thing that means the most to me about that memory is all of the time and love th
Read more