"Yeeeeaaaahhhh, Why you gotta go and make things so complicated?"
When I was in the 8th grade, I can shamelessly remember rockin' out to Avril Lavigne's latest hit. Her lyrical genius may not have been the most eloquent way to pose this question, however it is an important question nonetheless.
Why do I make things so complicated?
On Tuesday my team and I were heading to ministry in the city. We walked for about 30 minutes in the hot, humid weather of southern India and then we boarded a bus. The bus was PACKED. Neysa and I even had to stand in the open doorway of the moving bus for a few minutes until the crowd compacted enough for us to squeeze inside. The heat, the smells, the lack of any personal space…if we are being honest it was pretty miserable. But then suddenly a simple conversation with a young Indian girl changed my perspective. It was here, while standing on an overcrowded Indian bus, that I realized I really do make things much more difficult and complicated than they need to be.
When I first saw this young girl, she looked ecstatic to see me. And let's be real…I know it was not because I was looking fresh to def' (only 2 bucket showers per week leave you looking a little bit rough in the Indian heat). She came up to me and grabbed my arm and proceeded to pull me further into the depths of the sweaty crowded bus. And then she started firing questions at me, one after another. She had a heavy accent, but spoke English very well. Our conversation was off to a good start. We had exchanged names and professions and had established where each of us was from. Then she became emotional and said that all of her friends think that her studying English at university is "stupid." She had become discouraged, because there were so few opportunities for her to put all of her hard work in English into practice through conversations. She informed me that she had been praying for God to send her someone who spoke English. So when this young girl saw me, she knew that the Lord had answered her prayer. In that moment she gave so much praise and glory to God. It was incredible.
　
How many times do I miss the simple things?
How many times do I miss God's answers to my prayers?
　
On the Race it is easy to focus on the BIG things. A miraculous healing. The casting out of a demonic spirit. The revealing of a new spiritual gift. An epic prophetic word.
But I was thankful to be reminded that God also cares about the simple things. The everyday things. He hears our prayers for our heart's deepest desires. He cares enough about that young girl to have put me on her bus, instead of the bus I could have been on 15 minutes earlier. And He cares enough about me to have answered my prayer to be used by Him for His glory. In my mind, it wasn't in some extraordinary way. I didn't heal someone from cancer through a miraculous healing. But to that girl, I was used in a HUGE way. And God did receive all of the glory. Amen.
Don't underestimate the power of the simple things.
Love you guys!! <3 Cassie
　
