Just a note before my blog: Thank YOU for praying this week. I felt a lot of prayers going up on my behalf on Saturday night (8 p.m. our time, noon your time) as the LORD led me to delete my planned sermon and start over! The message came, and I believe it was what the LORD appointed me to communicate. I was a tortured soul for the 48 hours leading up to that time, so again, thanks for praying! I'm grateful for Heather's hard work, and the steel nerves of our tech team at Colonial for pulling that off. It's never as easy as we hope it's going to be!
Now, for some thoughts that have been building up this week...
It happens to me every time I come to Africa...I don't want to leave.
And it’s not because it’s so beautiful here…although it’s breathtaking, particularly in Malawi where we are now. And it’s not because the people are so nice…though they are the NICEST people on the planet.
It’s because I see God here in a way that moves my soul. I see God in the passion and the sincere faith of Africans that I rarely see in America, or in myself for that matter. We have much to learn from a Christ-centered life that has escaped the film of materialism. We have much to learn of what it means to be a community. We have much to learn about what it means to care for one’s neighbor. We have much to learn about the quality of human life as it relates to any particular standard of living.
Today I stood in a hand made, 10x14’ building made of bricks and mud with a tin roof. The benches of the church came right out of the ground, again made of bricks and mud. The church family consisted of 20 small children and a few older children who had waited for “the visitors” for 5 hours. When we arrived, they greeted us warmly, shook our hands, and then sang a song of praise in their native tongue that was the most powerful, beautiful music I have ever heard. I realized that again, in spite of all I’ve learned this past week and on former trips, I had judged these people because they had no shoes and live in mud huts. The truth is, I was the student, they were my gracious and patient teachers, and God was instructing me to expand my world view to include His powerful presence in the faces and voices of those who are His beloved children.
There is no correlation between joy and a high standard of living…I’m convinced of it. Those who live with little have discovered the truth of contentment: simplicity and dependency upon the Living Lord. You would have to see and hear it to fully understand it. Inevitably I come away from such experiences wondering if I have not missed what life was always intended to be because I’m so wrapped up in the complexity of materialism, institutions, and hectic-manic days. The difference is also clearly marked in the power of community. Community happens naturally and powerfully every day for the Africans; it’s something that we find draining and difficult. The power of living in community is a richness and fullness that God intended for each of us to enjoy. As Americans, we have traded in that commodity for home entertainment systems, Direct TV, and our recliners. We bypass relationships for our obessession to work hard, gain financial independence, so that one day we can have time to have friends and enjoy our lives. Something's wrong with that picture.
Americans may have more money and stuff, but when the scales of joy and contentment are applied to our two cultures, I suspect the average American would be found quite lacking in comparison to the average African; at least as Christians are compared and concerned.
By the way, as we were ready to leave, a teenage boy strolled up with grilled whole field mice on a stick—about 20 of them. Turns out grilled mice are a delicacy for these folks who have so little. We bought the mice…for the kids in the church! My faith is growing—but I’m not ready for mice cream!
Now, for some thoughts that have been building up this week...
It happens to me every time I come to Africa...I don't want to leave.
And it’s not because it’s so beautiful here…although it’s breathtaking, particularly in Malawi where we are now. And it’s not because the people are so nice…though they are the NICEST people on the planet.
It’s because I see God here in a way that moves my soul. I see God in the passion and the sincere faith of Africans that I rarely see in America, or in myself for that matter. We have much to learn from a Christ-centered life that has escaped the film of materialism. We have much to learn of what it means to be a community. We have much to learn about what it means to care for one’s neighbor. We have much to learn about the quality of human life as it relates to any particular standard of living.
Today I stood in a hand made, 10x14’ building made of bricks and mud with a tin roof. The benches of the church came right out of the ground, again made of bricks and mud. The church family consisted of 20 small children and a few older children who had waited for “the visitors” for 5 hours. When we arrived, they greeted us warmly, shook our hands, and then sang a song of praise in their native tongue that was the most powerful, beautiful music I have ever heard. I realized that again, in spite of all I’ve learned this past week and on former trips, I had judged these people because they had no shoes and live in mud huts. The truth is, I was the student, they were my gracious and patient teachers, and God was instructing me to expand my world view to include His powerful presence in the faces and voices of those who are His beloved children.
There is no correlation between joy and a high standard of living…I’m convinced of it. Those who live with little have discovered the truth of contentment: simplicity and dependency upon the Living Lord. You would have to see and hear it to fully understand it. Inevitably I come away from such experiences wondering if I have not missed what life was always intended to be because I’m so wrapped up in the complexity of materialism, institutions, and hectic-manic days. The difference is also clearly marked in the power of community. Community happens naturally and powerfully every day for the Africans; it’s something that we find draining and difficult. The power of living in community is a richness and fullness that God intended for each of us to enjoy. As Americans, we have traded in that commodity for home entertainment systems, Direct TV, and our recliners. We bypass relationships for our obessession to work hard, gain financial independence, so that one day we can have time to have friends and enjoy our lives. Something's wrong with that picture.
Americans may have more money and stuff, but when the scales of joy and contentment are applied to our two cultures, I suspect the average American would be found quite lacking in comparison to the average African; at least as Christians are compared and concerned.
By the way, as we were ready to leave, a teenage boy strolled up with grilled whole field mice on a stick—about 20 of them. Turns out grilled mice are a delicacy for these folks who have so little. We bought the mice…for the kids in the church! My faith is growing—but I’m not ready for mice cream!
Keep praying!
Jim
Thanks for your thoughts Jim! After returning from Haiti, we've pondered the same things - life is so simple & there is so much contentment, JOY, love & community. God is on the move! May He move mightily among us His church in America!
ReplyDeleteTell the team hello from the Redfords. Bless you all with peace, joy, & love!
Kelly & Kevin Redford