Each layer of self that the Lord strips off of you takes you closer to the beautiful creation that God intended you to be.
The first of many layers the Lord is stripping me of..pride. If someone had asked me two months ago if I considered myself a prideful person, my answer would be no. I'd say that I've accepted that there is someone out there that is smarter, wiser, more athletic, wealthier, and more beautiful than I. I'm going to 11 countries to sweat, eat mysterious food, and suffer for the Lord and his people. I'm not prideful.
The Lord saw different. The Lord saw the attitude of my heart. The Lord saw the motives of my heart as I acted in vain towards his children.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7.
We have traveled so much the past four days. 6 hour bus rides have turned into 12 hour bus rides. We have been crammed into a public transportation bus for over 10 hours with more than twice the normal amount of passengers. People standing up in the isle of the bus with no seat, the smell of body odor overtaking the bus, a flat tire, and the only source of cool air being the crack in the window beside you is challenging. It's in these moments when the attitude of the heart is exposed. Am I going to act in love and honor or complain and wish I was elsewhere.
I chose to walk in my flesh. I complained about being hot, claustrophobic, tired, and FRUSTRATED. I had reached my limit.
"Lord, where am I right now? What do you have for me in this cramped, nasty, smelly bus?"
It's in this moment that the Lord showed me how prideful I truly was. I EXPECTED to have a seat on the bus while 20+ Nepalese people stood in the isle for hours. I EXPECTED the bus ride to be 6 hours long rather than 10. I EXPECTED to be as comfortable as possible. I EXPECTED to be able to voice my frustrations and it be ok.
Then the Spirit moved heavily on my heart.
" These people that are standing up on this bus are not lower than you. Just because you are American and you have come to stay a month here to spread my word does NOT make you better than them. They are my children whom I love just as you are. You deserve no more than they deserve. These people do this everyday. They stand in the isles of public buses that stop every 2 minutes to get from point A to point B every day of their lives. This is their life. Who are you to think you deserve a seat rather than the Nepalese woman standing beside you. Who are you to get ill when she tries to sit on the arm rest of your seat for a little comfort." Talk about a stab in the heart.
Isaiah 25:4 says "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, and a shade from the heat."
The Lord loves his people, even the people who live in nothing but a thatched roof hut.
Lord, how do these people survive in such rough conditions? They live in this every single day with no escape. I get 11 months of this and then I get to return back to the comforts of America. But for these people, working hours in a field for food, carrying loads on their backs for miles, and considering a bath in a dirty river as being clean is their life. The Lord gives them the strength to get through each day. He takes care of the needy and the poor. This means what? This means that he LOVES the least of these. He loves them just as much as he loves me.
As I walk the turf of foreign lands among people of different cultures, I am messing with his people, his beloved. This is serious business.
It's all about honor. I am slowly learning what it means to be a person of high honor. Honor the little girl who is filthy and reeks of urine by holding her in your arms. Honor the man who needs a place to sit on the bus by giving up your seat. Honor each person you come in contact with in LOVE.
Rather than looking at the obstacle ahead, I am to look at Christ. He never wastes an opportunity. I want to see Jesus in every situation. seize every moment.
The Lord is teaching me that I am absolutely nothing without him. My joy, hope, laughter, happiness, love, humor, excitement, compassion, etc. all come from him. I am NOTHING without him. I have nothing to boast about or be prideful of except Christ. NOTHING ELSE.
Be a person of high honor. Check your heart. There's grace for the times you've missed it. Make much of every opportunity that the Lord places in front of you..the seemingly good and bad.
