“This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
Matthew 10:42
Small Decisions: A Bottle (Cup) of Water
There she was standing alongside the dusty, red, dirt road – small and beautiful and wearing her worn, Disney Princess dress.
“This is the one, Lord!”, I thought with excitement.
“No”
~
A little further down the road, she sat working hard behind her sewing machine in the heat of the day.
“Is this the one, Lord?” I prayed.
“No”
~
They walked past with their heavy loads and their tired bodies, a brother and sister pair.
“These are the ones, Lord.” I was eager and ready.
“No”
~
He was there standing near his family’s business, still in his youth.
“Is this the one, Lord?”, I prayed.
“No”
~
Looking down at the ground below, I saw him! He was sitting in the red dirt with his knees touching the ground, his little feet pressed sole to sole, and his hands dropped in his lap. His eyes met mine. I saw it – his beautiful, special self.
“This is the one Lord!”
“No”
“What?”
“No, child. Not this time.”
“But…”
“Outside of your comfort.”
“But, women and children where placed on my heart.
I thought that was who You were leading me to?”
“I was, but not now. Outside your comfort zone.”
“Open my eyes, Lord.”
“I will. Trust me.”
~
She was carrying a precious little one all wrapped up on her back. Her purchased goods from her shopping endeavors were wrapped up in her arms. I stopped her and greeted her. She smiled. I offered her the water bottle. She looked at me confused and worried. She turned and walked away. She rejected it.
“What?”
“Comfort”
He was pushing his bike up the red, dirt hill in his knit, beanie cap. His load looked heavy, all bundled up behind his seat. While walking the road, we passed three times. At the top of the hill, he stopped. He leaned his loaded bike on his body and took out a bottle of water with no more than three small sips. I stopped.
“This one.”
I walked over, greeted him, asked about his day, heard about his journey, offered him the water, and wished him a blessed day.
He was the one.
“Yes, child. He was”
This is what happened to me during a moment of my Training Camp in Uganda.
The Lord and my leadership team taught me so much during my time at Training Camp, which was held at the Reformed Theological College in Kampala, Uganda.
This moment in particular…
I learned so much from this moment.
You see, Mama K (one of the coaches for my Fusion 3 Squad) taught a lesson on the Kingdom and on Matthew Chapter 10.
At the end of her teaching, she read Matthew 10:42 to us.
“This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
Matthew 10:42 (The Message)
She sent us out to give out water bottles throughout the village around the Reformed Theological College, where we were staying. We were instructed to ask the Lord to speak – To ask God to lead us to the exact person He wanted us to meet.
I did this, as is described above.
I prayed. I listened. I looked. I prayed some more. I heard “No”. I prayed. I looked. I listened. I was rejected. I prayed. I listened.
I found the one He wanted me to find.
I did not fully understand how deep or meaningful this moment was until we discussed as a squad later that day.
You see, God lead me to many individuals, but they were not the individuals He had planned for me to give my water bottle to. God did, however, have a plan to teach me through these individuals. He had a plan for these individuals as well. I was not directed to give my water to these women and children in my path. It was hard for me at times, especially when I did not give my water to the little boy with special needs, sitting in the dirt. But, come to find out these women and children where meant to be a part of another story, another moment. My sqaudmates came back with stories of how they had listened to the Lord and gave their water bottles to the exact individuals I was told not to give my bottle to. Through this, God taught me to follow Him. Follow Him. Listen to Him. Let the Spirit lead me. Be okay with this. There will be times when He says “No”, but that does not mean the story is over. The “No’s” of my life may in fact be the “Yes’s” of other peoples’ stories… other peoples’ moments.
LoVe, CARY
{Training Camp – Reform Theological College – Kampala, Uganda}
