Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
- James 1:2-4, The Message
- James 1:2-4, The Message
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4, NIV
[For those of you who don't like The Message ;)]
"Laughter is the evidence that we're still here, the proof that our tragedies will not define us forever. Laughter is the language of the survivor."
from Heroes and Monsters by Josh Riebock
Photo Credit: Meg Amour-Jones
Their clothes were dingy, faded, torn, and usually didn't quite fit right...but their smiles were radiant, their eyes sparkled, and their laughter erupted from their bellies...and it was a beautiful sound. In fact, I believe that children's laughter is the most beautiful sound in the world...I love music, the sound of my mom's voice after a hard day, etc...but children's laughter is my favorite sound in the entire world.
Looking around each day, there didn't seem to be much to laugh or smile about...the lines were long, full of people that needed to see a doctor. With my very basic medical knowledge, even I could tell how desperate many of them were...the pain they were in, how they were suffering...it was obvious. And yet, they smiled. They laughed. Admittedly, watching me try to run during Duck, Duck, Goose is hilarious, but even when the silly white girl wasn't tripping over herself, the people of Uganda are perhaps the most joyful people I have ever met.
You see, despite the fact that many of the people we came into contact with during our week in Uganda were sick (and some had been ill for years) and spent all day in a long line hoping for some relief and many didn't know where their next meal would come from...they joyfully persevered.
You'd never realize, given their constant strength and resilience, the trials and tragedies they face each day. If there's something that was impressed upon me during the week, it was that the Ugandans trust God. I'll admit, in Africa, you're kind of forced to trust God. The first day, the only supplies we had for children's ministry were two beach balls. (I won't even go into what our children's ministry supply closet contains in Winchester, TN...let's just say there's a bit more than beach balls.) When you've got two beach balls, an open field, and a language barrier...you start relying on God and the gifts he's given you real fast.
When you can't run out to Wal-Mart for the food or medicine you may need, I think it might be easier to trust God. When you literally can't take care of yourself, you trust God will. The people of Uganda may be barely surviving when it comes to physical needs, but when it comes to their faith, they thrive. In America, it's quite the opposite. Because of all the comforts that surround us, because it is so easy to be self-reliant, when it comes to our faith and trusting God, we're barely surviving.
My heart hurts for the people of Uganda. I think it's senseless that they go hungry and suffer from curable diseases. I will do all I can to help those beautiful people and hope to hear the laughter of Ugandan children many more times. However, my heart also hurts for us...for me. I think it's senseless that so much of our time is spent in the pursuit of happiness, which is a fickle, fleeting emotion. Joy, that constant, steadfast gift from God that comes only in trusting and relying on Him for each and every thing, should be the thing we're chasing after. Don't misunderstand me, I love my comforts as much as the next person and I don't wish for tragedies or trials. But I've seen what true, trial-tested faith and real joy looks like...and I can't help but want it. I think I might have to fight for joy and it won't be a battle to trust God while surrounded by disease, poverty, or hunger...instead it will be a battle to rely on God while surrounded by excess. However, I want my faith-life's true colors to be bright and beautiful...so let the battle begin.
More to come... :)
You see, despite the fact that many of the people we came into contact with during our week in Uganda were sick (and some had been ill for years) and spent all day in a long line hoping for some relief and many didn't know where their next meal would come from...they joyfully persevered.
You'd never realize, given their constant strength and resilience, the trials and tragedies they face each day. If there's something that was impressed upon me during the week, it was that the Ugandans trust God. I'll admit, in Africa, you're kind of forced to trust God. The first day, the only supplies we had for children's ministry were two beach balls. (I won't even go into what our children's ministry supply closet contains in Winchester, TN...let's just say there's a bit more than beach balls.) When you've got two beach balls, an open field, and a language barrier...you start relying on God and the gifts he's given you real fast.
When you can't run out to Wal-Mart for the food or medicine you may need, I think it might be easier to trust God. When you literally can't take care of yourself, you trust God will. The people of Uganda may be barely surviving when it comes to physical needs, but when it comes to their faith, they thrive. In America, it's quite the opposite. Because of all the comforts that surround us, because it is so easy to be self-reliant, when it comes to our faith and trusting God, we're barely surviving.
My heart hurts for the people of Uganda. I think it's senseless that they go hungry and suffer from curable diseases. I will do all I can to help those beautiful people and hope to hear the laughter of Ugandan children many more times. However, my heart also hurts for us...for me. I think it's senseless that so much of our time is spent in the pursuit of happiness, which is a fickle, fleeting emotion. Joy, that constant, steadfast gift from God that comes only in trusting and relying on Him for each and every thing, should be the thing we're chasing after. Don't misunderstand me, I love my comforts as much as the next person and I don't wish for tragedies or trials. But I've seen what true, trial-tested faith and real joy looks like...and I can't help but want it. I think I might have to fight for joy and it won't be a battle to trust God while surrounded by disease, poverty, or hunger...instead it will be a battle to rely on God while surrounded by excess. However, I want my faith-life's true colors to be bright and beautiful...so let the battle begin.
More to come... :)
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