I’ve been living in Africa for about two weeks now. What.
So for a little life update… I am in Cape Town (Steenburg area), living in a house with 18 of my closest friends (my team plus two other coed teams). Ministry has been taking a few different forms- from running camps to praying for people on beaches to caroling with a local church. It will continue to vary week to week during our three months here.
This past week we simply walked to different malls and supermarkets with one task: to pray for people shopping there. This can certainly be awkward at first, going up to people and asking with your obvious American accent if you can pray for them in any way this holiday season. However, it opens up so much space for the Spirit to move in these interactions. It has been such a beautiful chance to practice boldness.
At one store in particular, some of my teammates and I decided to buy a bouquet of flowers from the outdoor vendor to hand out to some of the ladies inside. Each woman was so taken aback by the random kindness as we extended a lily to her, smiled and said “This is for you! Merry Christmas,” and offered her prayer.
The gift was so random and small, given on a day that wasn’t particularly special in any way. However, the smiles on these ladies’ faces made my soul smile. In this ministry, I got a small glimpse of The Lord’s heart for us. God delights in giving His children good gifts.
The Lord has been teaching me about finding Him in the big moments and the little moments. He constantly is giving me things that He knows will bring me joy. Sometimes I wake up here to see the clouds settling on the mountains around our house, and I feel Him say “yeah, I knew you’d like that. I did that one for you to enjoy.”
These little gifts, the ones found in big moments and in the mundane alike, are like little flowers given to me by my Father. They are beautiful, precious, and often simple.
I am learning to stop and smell these roses. I am learning that there is good in every day, and that there is true happiness there in every circumstance. I am learning to always keep a posture of gratitude for the little blessings. God is there in each moment of each day, and glimpses of the divine are always there, waiting to be found. Thank you, Lord, for the flowers.
God is good. Today is good. I pray you will find the good in every day, and that your joy will be more complete through the power of the Holy Spirit.
