Would you like some honey?
This was the question posed to me that left me stammering and unsure how to respond.
Why?
Because our last week in Nepal, we had a day of ministry that Agape Ministries, our awesome contacts, dubbed FAITH day. We were challenged to leave everything at home– money, snacks, phones, cameras. ALL. OF. IT. And trust that God would provide– trust that if we opted in, we would be directed to where we needed to go, and that our awesome, great, big God would provide for us in regard to what we needed– things like transportation and food.
To be honest, when I first got wind of what we would be doing I was more than a little doubtful and extremely concerned about it, because I am a white girl in Nepal. I obviously have money, because again… I’m a WHITE GIRL. IN NEPAL. From this standpoint, I felt like I was going to be “taking money” from Nepalis who needed it a lot more than me. Despite the objections in my head, I did what was asked of us and left things behind that day. But I went into the day unexcited, uncomfortable, and extremely hesitant. Yet, I learned that, SHOCKER, I had it all wrong. This was an opportunity to trust and have faith in Him. A lesson I was obviously in need of.
As Brian described what would happen that day and experiences they had had in the past when his team had done Faith days, I realized we were not going to be standing on the street corners asking for money, being pushy, or demanding things from people, but instead we were giving people an opportunity to experience this process alongside us, bless us by fulfilling some of our needs physically and in return we would be able to bless them spiritually by sharing what we were doing and why we were doing it. We were simply saying YES to what He had for us, and giving Him the opportunity to show up in obvious ways to meet our needs. Who was I to not give someone such opportunities? Our goal was to simply go out and expect God to provide for our needs. And ya know what? As He ALWAYS does, He showed up.
And in hilarious, ironic ways. We were sitting in a field used to play soccer, watching two girls learn how to drive motorbikes, and trying to decide what to do and where to go, when three young Nepali sisters approached us, and asked me, as I was the closest to them….
“Would you like some honey?”
What followed was sure to have been a blank, dumbfounded stare and shocked, shared glances with my teammates and our translator. Could it really be this simple, Lord? Are you serious right now? Is manna next? I can’t believe how cool you are! So this is what FAITH looks like. Wait… How do I respond? I have no money! Do I say yes??
What ensued was about a 40 minute conversation. We sampled honey, shared with these sisters about why we didn’t have money, learning all about the process of obtaining honey from the hives, getting to sample the fresh, delicious honey that they were in Kdu to sell, talking with one of the sisters about how she came to faith in Christ, and more!
And remember how I mentioned manna? Well, he provided that too. We sat in that field processing our conversation with these women about 10 minutes after they left, and ultimately I felt that God was pulling us one direction, and so heading that way we crossed paths with these three sisters again. This time, they were stopping to have a snack at a family home. They immediately offered us some of their snack, and the woman making the snack of spicy pomelo gave at least 4-5 servings of it to all of us. It was the spicy, sweet and sour mixture that Asians are so good at!
WHAT? Are you serious right now, Lord? You’re so amazing! This tastes delicious! Thank you for showing me how much I need to rely and trust you with everything, because you just met the most basic of my needs. If you can do that, how much more will you take care of the details of my life?
So I have no pictures to show you of these three sisters, or the family who shared spicy pomelo with us on the street, but I hope that you will also say YES to the manna and honey He wants to give to you today. Don’t listen to what the world might say is wrong or stupid or ridiculous, because we are called to TRUST.
I encourage you to choose to have a spirit of YES and trust Him with the big things, the small things, the in-between things. Because it always pays off! He is a God that can and should be trusted. This is something I am still struggling with, because I am so doubt-filled and I’m currently trying to figure out why I am so untrusting. But I encourage you to opt into a spirit of YES today. Step out of your comfort zone. Ask God what that looks like for you, and say YES. Because He promises that what He has for us is so much better than what the world has for us. I don’t know about you, but I want a heart of flesh. I want a heart that is open and vulnerable and willing to go to the deep places. I want to trust Him wholeheartedly.
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:26
