“Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.” Psalm 65:8
Throughout the past four months I’ve had the privilege to see some beautiful corners of this earth. I’ve also had the opportunity to witness some pretty dirty, smelly, and broken corners of the earth as well. I’ve teared up watching incredible sunsets form over farm lands. I’ve felt overwhelmed by trash filled rivers and been suffocated by air pollution in busy cities. It’s a cycle that constantly brings endless amounts of admiration and frustration. At the end of the day I always feel the same thing though. It’s the deep sense that as humans, as a believer, and as people who have the sweet opportunity to inhabit the earth, it’s our job to honor what the good Lord created.
Just yesterday I sat playing with two young girls, Secret and Joyce, as they told me about their homes and the farming they do. They work really hard to grow crops and to keep their land alive. They also mentioned how they would never dare do anything to harm it because it’s both beautiful and a blessing. Wisdom!! This interaction with two ten year olds made me marvel at the views all around me for a few moments longer. These ten year olds, wise beyond their years, illustrated a really important lesson that I am starting to understand and appreciate more fully. God has created such an incredible home for us and has allowed it to flourish into something we have all been in wonder of at some point or another. We’ve all been called to appreciate earth and take care of it as well as we can.
As you can probably tell by now, I don’t have some wild point to this blog, just that it’s important to honor what we have. Maybe it means recycling the papers under your desk, picking up a piece of trash on the sidewalk, or taking thirty-seconds to marvel at the way the clouds look on your way to work and saying a prayer of gratitude to top it all off. Take a walk and enjoy the beauties of our home. Stand in awe and shout out joy. Take Psalm 65:8 to heart and take a moment to make earth an even lovelier place.
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Life in Malawi has evened out and formed a nice routine. I spend my mornings as a teacher aid in a kindergarten class, going to the library to help out while the kids are at recess, and spending a few afternoons throughout the week in a nearby village. My time in Africa has brought me life in so many unexpected ways. Thanks for keeping up with me through it all 🙂
Xoxo,
Emily
