Bethel = House of God. Bethel is the name of the feeding center that my team and I are serving at in Nicaragua this month. The center is run by Anita, a 29 year old native to Rivas, who after serving 7 years in missions overseas had a dream feed the hungry children in her home town. Only 2 years later there are now 80 children that come Monday through Saturday to receive a fresh cooked meal, play board games at a safe place, and learn a bible story. For many of these kids, this meal is the only one that they receive each day.
This morning I watched the Bethel sign slowly get bigger as I sprinted the end of my run, and in those few seconds the meaning of the word Bethel really hit me. I realized that the longer I go on this journey and the more interactions I have with the people of our world, the more I realize that God can't and never will be contained in a "house". There is no specific building where you can go to meet with God and guarantee His presence there, even a church.
The house of God is wherever His spirit is dwelling. The house of God is seen in the radiance of an ocean sunset, when a child of His recognizes the splendor of his Creator. The house of God is wherever His name is being glorified, whenever His children are choosing love over hate. The house of God is inside every questioning believer, who chooses faith even when hope seems impossible.
This feeding center is a house of God but not because of the bricks that built it, its a house of God because of the love within it. Its because Anita, who is unable to pay her own bills most months, gives everything that she has to make sure these children are fed everyday. Its because of Esmeralda's 8 year old smile while wearing 4 day dirty dress and the way that she quietly comforts a boy who is not even her brother. Its because of the way the boys play baseball in the street with a tennis ball and their arm for a bat and are the pure joy on their faces. Its because of the way a mom sweeps her dirt yard, taking care of what she has and being thankful, even if it is not much. Its because of the way a small curly haired boy runs to give us hugs. Its because of the child, who offers to share one of her only 2 cookies , her whole meal, with my teammate.
The house of God cannot be contained in a building. Its bigger than the tallest skyscraper, and stronger than the fiercest steal. The house of God doesn't need four walls a roof and a floor, the house of God is anywhere that love is being proclaimed and that Jesus' name is being lifted high. You can search all of the world but you aren't going to find God until you realized that He can't be contained in any of the building's, boxes, or houses you want to put Him in.
