The change in climate we experienced going from Swaziland to Romania may have been the most dramatic change my body has yet to experience. It’s only because of the Lord our group is healthy and active after making that transition! As if a group of 42 Americans is not entertaining enough, we were each layered in as many “warm” clothes as possible. Remember, we came from Africa, so “warm clothes” is a very relative term! I can happily report, though, that we raided local secondhand shops and now have at least what is necessary to stay warm!
Cold is not my thing. It never has been, and I’m fairly certain it never will be. Much to John Michael’s dismay, winter and snow are not high on my list of favorites. However, I’m thankful for the new perspective I’ve gained in our short time here already. One of the first mornings we were here, a group of girls were huddled near the wood-burning stove, attempting to stay warm. (We’re staying in a large house that is often difficult to keep heated in as many rooms as we occupy!) While looking out at the open farm land near our home, one of them made a comment about how we have absolutely no idea what lies beneath this snow covering. It appears to be an adorable village surrounded by open farmland and neighboring homes, but chances are we won’t actually see true ground during our stay. The ground will remain covered in white and we will see what has been transformed into this beautiful, picturesque, little town. I couldn’t help but instantly draw a connection to 2nd Corinthians 5:17-19 which says,
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
We are the farmland covered in white, powdery snow! We are sinful and lost, but through the blood of Jesus we are healed, reconciled, and called new. What’s the good news for us? When the Lord looks at us, he sees the white covering, not the dirt and soil underneath. He sees a bleak neighborhood that has been transformed into a scenic little Christmas village (I’m not kidding, it actually looks like a Christmas decoration!) and doesn’t give a second thought about what may be lurking underneath that layer.
If you’re like me, you read this and get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside thinking how great it is that He calls me his daughter! I couldn’t be more grateful that the God I serve views me as white and pure. He sees me as a transformed woman who is declared beautiful and new, not the sinful girl I am with out His grace. Yet, just being thankful for this isn’t enough. The challenge He has presented to me in this vision was to begin to view my friends and family in this light. Do I look at John Michael and see him as a transformed man of God? Or do I see sin and selfishness? I believe if we operated in this way our relationships would begin to look radically different. So that’s my challenge for month 6…to view my brothers and sisters in Christ as changed, as new, as women and men who have been declared pure and redeemed.
Our team in the center of town!
John Michael and I outside our house
