“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” -C.S. Lewis
Since coming on the World Race, God has been teaching me a lot about the peace and joy He offers, and He’s mainly been using people to do it. He puts people in my life who exemplify His traits really well. He speaks through them, and acts through them, and uses them as His hands. He sends me friends who reflect aspects of His character beautifully, and friends who make me desire more of who He is and what He’s about.
One of these friends I’ve made on the race is Shereena. Shereena is the most joyful, free person I’ve ever had the privilege of being around. When she walks into the room, people literally gravitate towards her. Happiness radiates from her being. She leaks joy and love and peace to everyone she encounters. There’s no darkness that surrounds her, no chains that bind her, no restraints that hold her back. She stands at the front of our church and worships beautifully, laughs loudly, and dances freely. And the best part of it is, these aspects of her character are completely natural. She never puts on a show, and she never forces anything. Happiness and freedom are just such integral parts of who she is that you can’t help but notice them in her.
One day I was sitting and talking to Shereena, and I told her how inspired I was by her joy. She said to me “I can’t help but be joyful and dance when I think about everything the Lord has done for me.” And then she told me her story.
My sweet friend Shereena was born into a poor farming family, one of nine children. She grew up with cerebral malaria, and spent the majority of her childhood hindered by the awful disease. Early into her secondary education, she had to leave school because she was so sick and could no longer afford to pay her fees. She told
me that she felt sad, hopeless, and alone. Some time later, she encountered a man. The man told her that he would pay for her school fees, and he asked to pray for her. And as the man prayed over her, God healed her. He took the illness from her body, and the sickness that had had such a hold on her for so long was gone. Shereena returned to school, and told people about the God she loves, the God who is a healer and a provider.
Years later, she was working at a hotel in Uganda, and one day as she was leaving, she was attacked and brutally beaten. Her attackers left her for dead in a bush, and she laid there for seven hours. She told me that as she laid in the bush, God gave her dreams and visions and inexplicable peace. Eventually she was found, and brought to the hospital. The doctors were able to revive her, and she spent eight months in recovery. Again, Shereena returned home and testified about a God who is a healer and a provider.
My dear Shereena is not someone who was dealt an easy hand in life. She is someone who has faced huge amounts of struggle and hardship. She is someone who could have easily become bitter, or hardened her heart to the world. But instead she has chosen to see how God works miracles in hopelessness, and she believes that the finger of God is in all things, even terrible things. Her life is hard, but her faith is strong, and she believes that her God is good. She isn’t burdened by the things most people are burdened by because she relinquishes control to the Lord. Her yoke is easy, and her burden is light. She sees His beauty and His craftsmanship in all things. Rather than reflecting on the hardships she’s faced (and they are hard hardships), she chooses to see light in darkness and beauty in pain.
Shereena is joyful in the way that God is joyful. It is a joy that is overwhelming, overpowering, and all-encompassing. It is a joy that can’t come in contact with something without changing it. It is a joy that has transformed me. I am so thankful that He brought me to Rwanda to show me His immense joy through one of His children, and I pray that one day I can so beautifully reflect that joy the way Shereena does.
For the Kingdom,
Ellen
P.S. I love what I get to do. I love what God is doing through me, what He is teaching me, and who He is having me come in contact with. I pray for more divine encounters. In order to continue on the World Race, I need to raise about $1,800 by the end of December. If you feel called to give to my trip, you can do that directly through this blog. Thank you for every donation, prayer, good thought, hug, and message. I feel so, so well-loved, and I am thankful for each and every one of you.
ALSO, please pray for Shereena! She wants financial support in order to further her education and write down and inspire people with her story. No one on this earth is more deserving than her.
