I would like to start this blog off with a question…..
What exactly does Jesus look like?
Seriously, have you ever thought about it?
Any thoughts on the matter?
Okay, let me clarify the question….
What does Jesus look like to you?
Have you ever come to the realization that the Jesus you picture might look different than someone else’s view of Him, and that that is okay? And I’m not talking about His physical characteristics. (we all know he was white with long flowing brown hair and blue eyes…ha) What I’m talking about is how we view the way He lived life, served and treated others, and acted on a daily basis.
To some, Jesus may look like a hard worker who shows His love by physically working hard, and to others Jesus may be quiet and always in prayer, and yet another may see Him constantly preaching to the masses. Still the while there are hundreds of other views of what Jesus looks like. And it seems that whatever each person’s predominate view of Jesus is, they attempt to create those characteristics within themselves and act like that version of Him.
This is not at all a bad thing. We all want to be more and more like Christ, but the problem is that Jesus is all of these things and more. It seems that people have trouble accepting that truth. Some people would rather criticize other people’s view of Jesus instead of accepting that Jesus is bigger than everyones view of Him and that we only know and see Him “in part.” This is just one of the lessons we are learning while living in community and on the mission field. It is a hard lesson to learn and live out in our lives. We must try and spend our time getting to know every aspect and characteristic of Jesus and live like Him as much as we can amidst the chaos of “the race.” Right now we are living with 14 other individuals sharing the same small kitchen, the same table that only seats 11, and the same 2 showers, not to mention the work duties both for the orphanage and for the living space. We take turns cooking, sometimes cleaning, and the physical work load. It is interesting to say the least. Living like Jesus and learning what that means is a continual process. As we seek Him and have conversations about Him we will get to see Him in new ways and have new revelations and definitions of what He looks like.
We have met a number of people who have been great examples of Christ in totally different ways. This month, the founder/mother of El Shaddai, Charmaine, has been a great example of Jesus to our team and the children by caring for each one as her own. Sebelo, the “foreman” of the orphanage has been such a great example of serving El Shaddai by maintaining all the land, appliances, vehicles, and ongoing projects. And still other short time missionaries such as James, Compassionate Life Foundation, and Steps over Swaziland have shown us Christ in their own special ways. We have been able to learn and serve the ministry in many ways and it has truly been a blessing seeing Christ in everyone we came in contact with. Our hope is that they saw Christ in us while we were there…whatever that may look like….
Here are a few pictures from our time at El Shaddai:
(Our usual family meal)
(one of the children playing on one of their few toys) (The tool rack we built in the garage)
(our little house for the month) (Team willow after church)
(Us singing at a Church service) (Justin hanging out with two of his favorites….. Joseph and Boy Boy. They would come up to you and say “on the shoulder” until you put them there!)
(Tiffany standing in the trash pit on the thousands (Kristen and Tiffany fixing tables for the school)
of leaves we gathered around the compound)
To view our photos of Swaziland click here: Photos
