Currently I’m in Bangalore India. Those words alone stop me in my tracks and actually help me take time to reflect on what I’m doing. As a child and all through college, I dreamed of traveling the world and now that dream has materialized into a reality that I never thought possible until this point. I’m in India. Wow. So the question that I have for myself is what do I do while I’m here? How can I make a difference in the short time I’m in this beautiful country?
There is this pattern of learning where we have an expectation of ‘Oh we’re here to help you’. We focus so much on what we have and whether we can give it, rather than what can we receive from the experience at hand. Many times what we receive lies outside out of our own desires or expectations. So we freak out and wonder whether we’re doing what God wants and we question why we are where we are. Instead of receiving what He wants to give us and experiencing something better, we limit ourselves to a preconceived notion of who we think we should be.
In many blogs about India, you’ll find the consistency to say, “I’ve never been served the way I am now”. I will be another one of those people to say “I’ve never been served the way I am now”. The children we’re working with at the Jehova Jireh children’s home have some of the biggest hearts I’ve seen. They call us ‘Uncle’ and Auntie’. “Uncle! Uncle! Come! Come! Let me give you some water.” Here is an example of the culture we’re working with. We were hanging out with the children one night and I was very thirsty. There wasn’t any water available at the home so I was going to go to town with my teammate to get water (and a coke because it’s 35 cents for a bottle).
We were on our way out and two of the children exclaimed:
“No Uncle! Stay! Water will come!”.
“No, I’m just going to town, I’ll be right back.”
“No Uncle! No Uncle! Water is coming!”
“I’ll go to town to get some water, I’ll be right back”
“No, No! Water is coming.”
At this point I’m getting a little frustrated. My independent self wants to act independently and get water ‘for myself’. I end up convincing them that I’m indeed fine and will simply get water. We get maybe 50 yards away from the home, and two children from the Home come running up to us with an empty water jug to fill. “We come with you.” So I cave in and accept that they will not accept my pride as an answer. Once we get to the super market and the jug is filled, the first thing the children do is fill my water bottle. They’re first concern was me receiving water. This was a 13 year old and a 10 year old doing this mind you. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” were the first words that popped into my head as this was going on. Who is the doing the serving now?
This is not to say I am not doing good work. I’m learning so much and I’m doing great things with my team. I’m a great and valuable son doing what Papa has laid out for me and Our Host is very happy with us. I’m seeing changes in His own heart as well as the hearts of the children so an impact is being made in some amazingly positive ways. That is why it is so important to ask and seek what a place needs, rather than have a preconceived plan as to what we think they need. We’re not called to be blessed by God, we’re called to co labor with Him and how He wants to love His children. So that means out of relationship with Him we come to a place to encourage, and help what has already been established. If we live our identity through our ministry, then we’ll be sorely disappointed when what we expected to happen, doesn’t. We’ll short ourselves of the planned love that was intended for us in the first place, simply because we thought we knew better.
The goal and focus is to continually operate from an intimacy with God. That’s first and foremost. Sometimes the ministry is just to let your hosts bless you and you encourage them in faith. If you are of such value for the Son of God to die and give you His Spirit, then you are worthy to be blessed with a two children going out of their way to get you some water. The intention is always to love fully with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then when we set our preconceived notions aside, the wonders of Papa will materialize.
