Hey readers! I know it’s been awhile…the last time you heard from me I was in Madagascar. Now, a little over 2 months later, I find myself sitting in a wonderful coffee shop in Myanmar, drinking my usual cappuccino, reflecting on these past few months.
The last few months took me to three countries: Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. They were incredibly different in culture, people I traveled with, and in a variety of other things. Yet, in the most singular level, the experience and lessons themselves, they were strikingly similar. Its honestly why I haven’t written in a while. There has been one strong truth the Lord has been trying to teach me, clearly weaved through these three countries and the experiences they held. A lesson so strong that I couldn’t focus on any other story except this important truth He was teaching me.
Before I continue, it’s important I mention the type of ministry we did these months. Instead of being assigned to already existing ministries, like in the previous months, we were given the freedom to simply follow the Lord’s voice anywhere and spread His love however we felt necessary. Because of this important change, it gave me and my teams the freedom to see even more of the land and culture.
I realized something extremely impactful these months.
The world is dark, broken, twisted, and lost.
I feel like it is almost an obvious cliché’ churchy statement that we all have been taught our entire lives. But there is a difference in being told something and looking at darkness right in front of you.
Through our freedom in traveling, I saw for the first time how lost and dark this world can be.
There was the crippled man in Malaysia whom we prayed healing for, and the potent fear in his eyes when our prayers angered the Muslim men who saw us.
There was the daily struggles of my female teammates in Sri Lanka, where they were forced to deal with some of the most extreme and painful sexism I have ever seen, and the fact that there was very little us men could do to help them.
There was the daily encounter with sex trafficking in Thailand, having pictures of naked women shoved in my face in hopes of them being sold and seeing creepy old White men with young Thai girls everywhere…obviously paying for their services.
Three examples of countless others, showing different sides of how dark this world truly is.
It was so easy to get filled with anger against some of these very difficult circumstances…to question God in the midst of this broken world.
But I sit here in full belief that God needed us to see this.
If it brings me pain to see these countless broken and twisted people, how much more sorrow does it bring the Lord? They may be trapped in evil, but they are still His children.
Here’s the deal, difficult sights like mentioned above vividly show how much sin has infected the world. People are captive in sin and lies, lost and hopeless. Many are so twisted they don’t even realize how lost they are.
But there is one hope: Jesus.
We carry a message of hope, truth, and light wherever we go. Seeing how broken the world is should compel us to spread this freedom even more! God wants to see His children returned to Him, and compels us to spread that truth to all.
The Lord loves them. It should compel us to love these lost sheep more boldly than we have. For Jesus died on the cross for their sins as much as ours.
When faced with evil like this, we need not fear. We can love the lost and proclaim the name of Jesus in the darkest places, because the Lord is always by our side.
“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”
Psalm 139:7-12
I ‘m still in this coffee shop. My cup of cappuccino is about empty, while my spiritual cup is overflowing. How blessed are we that the Lord wants to use us to spread His light to the world.
He’s calling you, too. What will you do about it?
Have no fear and live a life boldly proclaiming the love of Jesus to all who are lost.
JM
