This month T Squad has been ministering at El Shaddai, a children’s home in Swaziland. Each of us has been paired with a buddy for the month, and my buddy is Ayanda. He’s a 9 year old goofy, energetic, risktaker whose laugh and smile bring literal joy to my heart. One of my favorite parts of our relationship is that it often reflects my own relationship with God and the lessons He is trying to teach me. I hope these stories encourage and inspire you just like they have done for me.
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We were on our way to Chapel, held at 5pm everyday in the church. I had let Ayanda borrow my rain jacket, which he referred to as his Superman cape, as a light drizzle began to fall. Looking up at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he pulled the hood off his head and exclaimed, “Oh no! I am getting wet!”
I laughed and decided to play along with his game. “Well silly, put the hood back on!” I placed the hood back on his head, and seconds later it was off again. “I am getting wet!” We both giggled as the game continued until we reached the church.
But as I was looking down at his smiling face spattered with rain drops I thought, “How many times have I done this routine with God?”
You see, our Heavenly Father wants to protect us, and so He asks for our obedience to Him. Sometimes following His will is hard- we chafe against bending our will to another’s, even the Almighty God. And sometimes we don’t see the purpose, so instead of waiting for it to be revealed, we press on with our own goals and intentions. Then as our plans begin to crumble around us, we look up to God and cry out, “I am getting wet!”
God’s plans, purpose, and will are placed in our life for a reason, just like the hood of the rain jacket: They are meant to protect from the elements of this world. Thankfully, no matter how many times we take the hood off, our loving God is standing right there ready and willing to place it back on our heads when we simply ask Him.
