the trip wasn't my first to liberia. the poverty, hospitality, and gratefulness of the liberian people will always remain fixed in my mind, but this time, it was something i was familiar with. i was reminded of what God taught me on my last trip, but i had more to learn.
the last time i was in bong county, i was swarmed by kids of all ages. i couldn't take 5 steps in a single direction without having somewhere between 5 and 20 kids swarming around me. this time, i was prepared to lose my personal space, and i kinda loved having a huge crowd of people listen to every word you say, all pushing and shoving just to get a good look at you, to touch you and -- the thought crossed my mind -- in a way, it made sense. i was there, bringing supplies, education, teaching, manual labor to build parts of their new buildings, etc... to them. but in the same instance, i realized that i could never be these people's savior. God doesn't rely on me. one of the things we taught the kids at the school was Acts 17:24 - 25:
" 24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. since he is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for He has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need."
i was the one who had to rely completely and utterly on God. i was there as nothing more than a reflection of the One who sent me. i was constantly reminded that i could not provide for these people's needs, physical, mental, or spiritual. i was just a tool to be used as my Master saw fit. often, i find that i sometimes tend to think that God needs me to accomplish His will. so often i find myself complaining about how much i think i'm doing for God: i'm working so hard to be this, i'm trying to be so nice to this person, i'm fighting so hard to control this or that. the truth is that God doesn't need us. He loves us and wants us and wants to make us a part of His plan, but He doesn't rely on us for anything. we rely on Him for everything, and the Good News is that He satisfies us completely.
if you're like me, you tend to worry a lot about how things are going to turn out. if you say too much to this person, what will they think of you? if you say too little, will you regret it later? this kind of thinking makes it seem like you're in control of how things end. the truth is, there is nothing you can say or not say that will help others in their relationship with Christ that He cannot say Himself. and there is no amount of works that will improve your personal walk with Him either that He couldn't just give you. He gives us the privilege to be a part of His ministry to others, and to seek Him out in our daily lives. the only thing that we can ever do is surrender to Him and seek Him out. He offers us a chance to be a part of His experience, and we can either be bitter at our lack of control, or be swept away in the current of His grace.
"give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." -psalm 55:22
"then Jesus said, 'come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
-matthew 11:28
"can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" -matthew 6:27
one of the many songs we heard the children sing went something like this:
"good morning Jesus, good morning Lord,
i know you came from heaven, above.
the Holy Spirit is in control.
good morning Jesus, good morning Lord.
in the morning -- early in the morning,
in the morning, i will rise and praise the Lord."
it was amazing to hear children sing a song to me that summed up what i had been learning the entire week. within that simple song is a simple message that rocks me to the core: God loves us, He's in control, and we have the amazing gift to know and love Him back. praying for you guys! God bless!
