The other day we finished our ministry in Cambodia. We
said our goodbyes to the wonderful family that hosted us and headed to Phnom
Penh. We were all very sad to leave the people and relationships that we had
built but we were super excited about spending a few nights without bugs,
squatty potties, and bucket showers. I think the thing we were all most excited
about was air conditioning.
When we got to our hotel, the first thing I did was get a
shower. It was so glorious! Getting to wash off with good water pressure and
hot water felt so nice. As I lay down in a nice comfortable bed and started to
think over the last few weeks, God opened my eyes…
The last few weeks were hard. It was hot all of the time.
I was sweating constantly. The power would go out at least once every day
meaning our fans (our only source of trying to cool off) would turn off.
Mosquitoes were everywhere including all of our bags and clothes and beds. We
had to take bucket showers with water that was brown. And a quiet night meant
that only the dogs, chickens, lizards and pigs were making noise. As I said, it
was a hard few weeks.
However, it was an amazing few weeks! We saw the Spirit
work in so many awesome ways! Two of the villagers asked God to forgive them of
their sins and started an intimate, personal relationship
with Him! Numerous people were healed physically – hands, backs, knees,
headaches, eyes, sickness, etc. Others were healed emotionally – the hopeless
found hope, the unloved were loved, the tired found rest!
What God opened my eyes to last night was that our time
here on earth can be just like these last few weeks for me – hard and full of
suffering, but so full of the Spirit working in and through us that it is all
worth it!
While in the heat and the tough moments it was difficult
to keep going. I wanted to leave. I wanted air conditioning and quiet and
privacy. However, in reality, it was not that long. My time there was only 0.2 % of my life
so far. It was nothing compared to the amount of time I will (God willing)
spend on this earth. I believe that if I had thought about my time there with
the bigger picture in mind, I would have had a better attitude about it. I
would have realized that suffering for a short amount of time (relative to my
lifetime) was well worth it and something that I would happily do for the
results and rewards that it provided.
I then started to realize the implications of this truth
on my whole life. The Bible teaches that our lives here on earth are but a
vapor, a mist. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Compared to eternity, our
time on earth is nothing.
Why then should we not be willing to suffer and go
through the hardships of a life completely abandoned to Christ?
