We walked into Sunday School late. We were the last ones to arrive. They were already discussing in Swahili so we just sat there. In silence. Praying and believing that whatever was being said by the teacher was impacting the hearts of those in the room. (I mean that is really all you can do when you can’t understand the sermon!)
I was looking around the room when a woman caught my attention. Whenever I looked her way, she looked down. It was as though she was afraid, ashamed, unworthy. Was she afraid of me because I was a mzungo (white person)? Was she feeling ashamed from the message? Did she feel unworthy? I didn’t have an answer then. And I still don’t have an answer now. I don’t know that I will ever know.
As we were leaving Sunday School, we shook the hands of those around us. She walked over and shook my hand. Head still hung low. And all I could say was “Mungo Akuberiki” (God Bless You). For a moment, she looked up at me and smirked. And in that moment I gazed into her beautiful brown eyes and prayed. I spoke life into her spirit without her knowing. I asked the Lord to show her love. His love. Again, I don’t know the end of the story for this woman. And I doubt that I ever will. But I trust the Lord. I know He is taking care of her.
Unfortunately, this story is not the only one that I have encountered since being on the race. I have experienced many people walking in fear, shame, and unworthiness.
Through these encounters with people, my heart has been broken as I witness a culture driven by fear. Not fear of the Lord (like the bible teaches us) but fear of the consequences for not following the Lord. I hear people talk more about the condemnation of God than the love of God. And they fear God because they are afraid of what He will do to them. They end up missing His love. They miss His goodness. They miss His gentleness. They miss His salvation.
Are we perfect? No. Will we make mistakes in life? Yes. And that doesn’t mean that God loves us any less or any more in that moment. He loves us unconditionally. He literally cannot love us any more or any less. He doesn’t love us based off of how we act, what we say, or how we feel. He loves us because well, He simply just does. It is His nature to love. Many say, “God cannot love me because of ______.”
Romans 8:38-39 says “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love.”
How often do we walk around with our heads held low, ashamed of our past? Ashamed of what we have done, what we have said. How often do we feel unworthy of God’s love because of those things? Guess what, we don’t have to. God says it right there – NOTHING can get between His love for us. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
And it isn’t just an Africa problem. It is a people problem. People from every corner of the world struggle to walk in the love of God. I have witnessed moments like these my entire life. Even in America. God created us because He wanted relationship with us, because He loves us. And once we start believing that He loves us unconditionally we won’t feel the need to walk in fear of Him. Why would someone who loves you also want you to fear Him? It doesn’t make any sense. He doesn’t want that for us. (Again, I am not talking about the biblical fear of God – that is a completely different topic)
God does not reject us when we make mistakes, but if we think He does, if we fear He does, that lie becomes truth to us, because we believe it. – Joyce Meyer
If we believe that God condemns us when we sin then we will walk in fear. But in
1 John 4:18 we read that, “There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love (perfect love) banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life – fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in love.”
Love banishes fear. Banishes. That is intense. Deep. Strong. That covers it all. Love completely wipes out fear. There is no place for fear where love exists. Condemnation cannot coexist with love.
What would it look like if our culture grasped the love of God? What if we walked in love, not fear? What if we felt worthy to be loved by God? Proud to be His child. Our culture would change for generations to come. Again, it’s not just an Africa problem. It is a people problem. And as God’s children I think it is time that we start acting like we His children.
I don’t mean for that to sound harsh. This blog is really me giving myself a pep-talk and just letting the world read it. But I also just wanted to share my heart. And I hope you hear my love behind the words. But something the Lord has been teaching me is that we are citizens of Heaven. We are children of the Most High God. And His desire is for us to act as though we are His.
So, what would it look like if you started walking in who He created you to be? How would life look for you? I promise you – when you make that commitment to embrace God’s love you won’t have to walk in fear again.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and supporting us financially! We are so blessed to be able to do the work of the Lord in these countries. We still need to raise $11,000 in order to remain on this trip. Would you consider partnering with us? Click “Support Me!” at the top of the page. Thank you 🙂
