The four of us walk up to the gate of the fourth house this afternoon. It’s a noticeably larger house that those it surrounds, with an impressive gate guarding its entirety. The two ladies from the church ask the woman of the house if we could come in and talk with her. She invites us in, just like the previous owners of the houses we had just visited. We sit down and start talking to her about her family and life. I stumble around with words to make the conversation feel as natural as possible, but let’s be real: I was uncomfortable with the whole situation and was eagerly looking to my translator for support on what to talk about.
Blanca Rosa shares with me that our new friend is a sister in Christ. As she opens up about her life, she shares about two difficult situations that she’s been walking through both at work and at home. I sit there wondering if there is anything I can say that would be of any help to this woman. Our worlds are so different; who am I to understand what her life is like?
As I scrambled for words, God begins to speak to me that although our lives are different, I still have something to offer. I can understand heartache because I’ve walked through it myself. I can show her the Father’s love because I’ve experienced it personally. I can speak life and truth over her because Holy Spirit is in me and gives me the words to speak the Father’s heart. It was time for the revelation to sink in: I need to stop focusing on my own abilities. It’s not because I have all the right words to say that God is going to move in this moment. It is because I am in relationship with Him that I am fully qualified to love His daughter sitting right in front of me. Intimacy with the God allows me to overflow His love into the world around me.
I may never know what God did in this woman during our time together or in the other families I met today. However, I do know that He is calling me to share the love that I have been given so that others may also come into freedom and fullness in Christ. I’m realizing that all I need to do is show up and be willing to share what He wants me to share. It’s been challenging, but He continues to show me His faithfulness with each step that I take.
How is He prompting you to manifest His love to others this week?
Blessings,
Chelsea
