Our month in Thailand was coming to a close. Per usual, we said our goodbyes to everyone, packed our bags and were ready for our next destination.
This day was kinda unusual, though. Our hosts had scheduled an adventure day before dropping us off at the bus station in Chiang Mai as we headed to Bangkok. We were scheduled to ride elephants, bamboo raft and stroll around old Chiang Mai. I had all my things packed in the van and ready for our departure.
However on the van, my teammate Ari and I started a good conversation about the word of God so we pulled out our bibles, read them and highlighted a few verses. We arrived to our destination, I put my bible down and left the van.
After our activities were done we headed to the bus station. My teammates and I said our final goodbyes to our awesome hosts, grabbed all of our stuff from the van and went inside.
If you know me well, I’m careful with my stuff. I make sure to pack my stuff and put them back, to keep things in order but mostly to not lose stuff. Losing things on the Race is so common since we’re moving around so much so I made sure to look around the van seats but didn’t see anything.
After a few hours on the bus to Bangkok, I realized my bible stayed in Northern Thailand.
This bible was not just any bible. I got this bible on the streets of the Bronx. A local ministry was giving away free bibles in the Hunts Point neighborhood where I was a teacher. I wanted a new bible that I could understand better so I took one.
This bible was a true gift from God.
Yes, because it was free. But also because this bible was the first bible that made sense to me. All these years I just couldn’t understand the Word of God. However, this non-popular version was legit in my eyes. My spirit understood the Word of God more vividly than ever before.
(Ok, it wasn’t just the bible but my circumstances that also made the Word come alive.)
Anyway. This bible had significant value that I didn’t even know about until I lost it.
I was hurt that God took it away from me. I was disappointed at myself for not looking back one more time in the van. I just didn’t understand why God would take it away from me.
I cried and kinda threw a fit. I told God that I refused to buy a new bible. That He had to provide. Not a mature response as you can see.
After a month of waiting for God to provide, I figured I just had to buy one after all.
I felt God tell me to ask my squad leader Megan to buy me a bible in the states since she would be coming to Malaysia for our debrief session. I hate asking people for stuff but I obeyed.
To my surprise, she told me she actually had one bible she bought 6 years ago for a friend but she never gave it to her. She also said she actually prayed that morning asking the Lord who she could give the bible to.
It was for me! God answered both of our prayers!
She told me she would bring it to Malaysia. I was a bit hesitant about the version but I trusted God. I took it as a sign, whatever version He wanted me to have I would be ok with. It was for a reason.
Funny thing, Megan was glad I didn’t ask her for the version because she was scared I wouldn’t like it since no one knows this version. It’s the HCSB-Holman Christian Standard Bible version.
What are the odds of this happening, y’all??
No odds. No luck. It was all God!
You might be asking yourself, why would God take away something to give you the same thing back again?
Um, well, to teach us a few lessons in our comfortable lives.
So here it is…
The 3 Lessons I Learned from this Incident:
1) NYC is no longer my home. That was an old season, I have to start a new season when I get back to the USA.
2) I get attached to material things easily. Things come and go, don’t get too attached. Focus on your spiritual gifts instead.
3) I’m prideful when it comes to being organized and can be judgmental to those who aren’t. That’s not uplifting to the Kingdom.
