Nothing compares

Now for
an update on me. Over the last week since we got here, our team has
been able to help bring electricity to a remote village for the first
time, do children’s ministry, preach at a youth service, and visit
and encourage families out in the jungle, among other things.
However, while everyone else on my team has been out serving and
doing all these awesome things, I have not. The day we left Quito, I
came down with a stomach virus, and I have been staying back, near to
a bed and a toilet (even if the toilet is an outhouse down a muddy
path at the back of the yard), every day while my team went out to
ministry. **Mom and Dad-please don’t worry! Don’t freak out! I’m
not on my deathbed, I am fine, I promise–it’s just a regular
stomach bug.

So for
the past few days, I’ve been feeling frustrated because I just wanted
to go out and do ministry with my team. I wanted to contribute. I
didn’t want to miss out on anything. Then yesterday, right before
everyone else was getting ready to leave, I was venting/having a
pity-party for myself to one of my teammates, and saying all these
things, when he said something that put me in my place.

He said
that it’s not about me.

And he’s
exactly right. It’s not about me. It’s about God. After everyone
else left yesterday, I was left thinking about those words. I
started listening to some worship music, and the song “Nothing
Compares” by Third Day came on. And it hit me–that nothing compares to the greatness of
knowing God and being in His presence. Nothing.
Not hiking through the jungles on some crazy adventure. Not jumping
off an Indiana Jones-style bridge into a river 30 feet below (which
yes, my team did get to do). Not even serving God or doing ministry.
Nothing compares.

I
was reminded of a story in the Bible about two sisters who learned
this lesson. Jesus was visiting them at their house, and one sister,
Martha, was running around getting everything ready, preparing the
food, cleaning the house–she was serving Jesus. But Mary was just
sitting with Him. That’s it. She was just sitting at His feet,
listening. And Jesus said that Mary had made the better choice–the
choice to be in His presence, to listen, to just enjoy Him, instead
of doing things for Him.

I
wanted to be Martha this week. I wanted to do be doing things for
Jesus. I wanted to be teaching kids and sharing my testimony and
carrying two ton cement electrical poles up a mountain (actually, I
wasn’t too upset that I missed that:)). But I was forced to be Mary.
I was forced to just sit and listen and be in His presence. And
don’t take this the wrong way–I’m not saying that serving is bad.
But just that really, it’s not as great as knowing God and being with
Him. Nothing can compare to that.

So
I had a gift this week that nothing else compares to. I had hours
every day to just spend time getting to know God better and be in His
presence. I didn’t really have a whole lot of options of anything
else to do. There’s no internet where we’re staying, sometimes no
electricity, and no one who speaks English when our translator is out
with everyone else. I pretty much could either sleep or spend time
with God. And yet nothing could have been better. True, I would
have loved to not be sick. But if that’s what it took for me to
realize the blessing of being in God’s presence and knowing Him, then
it was a gift.

And
we still have two and half weeks in Ecuador, and nine and a half
months of this trip-I have plenty of time to contribute, and plenty
of time to have crazy adventures and experiences. But even if those
things don’t ever happen–even if I never have anything else to
offer or have the chance to jump off any bridges in the middle of the
jungle–it doesn’t really matter-as long as I am able to spend
time in God’s presence.

Because
nothing else compares to that.