Travel days are always great fun =). Travel from Mozambique to Swaziland was initially easy. We enjoyed our first ever sleeper bus of the race. The 21 hours from Beira to Maputo flew by in, WR standard, comfort! Then from Maputo we only had an estimated 3 or so hours to our location in Tshaneni, Swaziland. 28 people crammed in a 20-seater bus, with luggage and backpacks crowding the limited space, we made our way to the Swazi border. Hot, sticky, and smelly we laughed and talked and made memories of a lifetime. When we made it to the border we got stuck. After a few hours of waiting around we realized that our driver did not have a passport! The border crossing closes at 8pm. We needed a divine intervention as our driver said his goodbyes and left us sitting there alone with the bus. With 12 minutes to spare our new driver shows up and we were off!
All that to say that travel days also do nasty things to ones body. Travel food, lack of water, and road dirt all combine to bring out the zits, abdominal cramps, and tired bodies.
Today, on our first day of ministry, I felt extra ugly. My face had broken out and I was wishing I hadn’t looked in the little 4” by 4” mirror on the bathroom shelf. I was thinking how nice it is that mirrors have been rare as we’ve traveled around the world.
By the time we got home this afternoon I was in desperate need of God time.
I found a nice bench on the neighbor’s porch and removed the toad I found under the cushion. I needed to be reminded of God’s thoughts on beauty, so I typed beauty into my ipod’s Bible app and opened to 1Chronicles 16.
As I read verses 8-14 I decided to do what it was saying, right then and there!
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
What business did I have feeling glum and ugly when I had so much to be thankful for! Plus, I was sitting on a bench looking out at a gorgeous landscape, on our game preserve home, enjoying the cool breeze of an African evening.
Today on the bus we talked about what Swazi men find beautiful in their women. Without going into all the details, let me say there’s quite a bit of difference between the American ideal and the African. It was a striking reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
As I talked to God and thought about the marvelous works he had done, I thought about my own life. Comparing who I WAS with who I AM. I thanked God for the marvelous work of transformation He has done! Over the years God has been chipping away the junk and crafting true beauty into my life.
While being a human jungle gym today none of the kids noticed the pimples on my face. They didn’t care that I was dripping with sweat, and stinky. They wanted hugs, and they all wanted to pile on my lap at the same time. Beauty, in the eyes of those kindergartners, looks like smiles, hugs, laughs, and throwing them in the air!
As I sat on my bench and sang my off tune worship songs, lifting up many words of adoration to my God, I was beautiful in the eyes and ears of my Beholder!
And knowing that my Savior is looking at me with pure love in his eyes makes me feel like the most beautiful woman alive!
It’s a perspective thing. I’ve got to aline mine with HIS!
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
PS: did you catch the part where I said we’re living on a game preserve??? Nothing to complain about there, monkeys, zebras, wilderbeast, wort hogs, all kinds of deer, and garrafs! Oh, and there’s a tame zebra next dore named Hobbs 🙂
