Before I begin, please forgive for not posting about Malawi. I’m having some trouble uploading photos, but as soon as I can, I will.
On to Latvia!
We are in Saldus, Latvia this month. It’s a little town in the south western part of Latvia, about an hour and half away from the capital city of Riga. We are working for an organization called St. Gregor’s Christian missions Center. Our ministries are varied this month. We will be doing a lot of youth ministry, working with a crisis center and just making ourselves available to whatever the mission needs. This is our 4th day and so far we’ve helped the BIG Spring Clean here, been interviewed for the radio station, participated in a bible study and hung out at their local youth center. I’m really excited for all that God has this month!
Prior to getting to Salduse, our squad spent some time in the capital city, Riga for a Leadership Development weekend. I love my squad. They are some of the most fun, loving, considerate, powerful, and talented people I know and I’m so blessed to be doing this mission with them. Every time we’re able to spend time together, we try and have one on one’s with each other, and find out how the previous month went. I had one such encounter a few days ago.
There is a girl on my squad named Katherine. She is a beautiful woman of God, who reminds me a lot of my accountability sisters back in the states. She’s got this raw honesty that I just seem to gravitate to, as far as close friends in my life. We met for coffee one morning and I asked her the standard, “How was your month?” question. She told me about the ministry they were doing and how she enjoyed it, and ALL ABOUT living in community.
You see, on the race, we dream of becoming spiritual giants! We want to change the world for Jesus, and we want God to use us to do great things. But sometimes we forget that we aren’t alone. In fact, we’re NEVER alone. Our team, our squad, they are our family, and occasionally, families push each your buttons, they get in each other’s space, the use your stuff and they make you pray for patience, sometimes daily!
I’m an only child, and Katherine is used to her space, so being on the race has allowed us to grow in areas that we may not have realized we could grow in. For instance, she and I both agree that if we pay for something, it’s ours.
Katherine began to tell me a story about a team mate who had taken something of hers without asking per se’. Well, she kind of asked. It wasn’t a “Hey, can I use this?” It was more of a “I used this, but I’ll replace it”… Not the same. At all. 🙂 We laughed and she told me about how God had asked her the question, “Well is it really important enough to get offended, to react or lose your temper over?” The growth had been in the ability to answer “No”. Yet as we talked I kept hearing myself go, “But I paid for that! Therefore, it’s mine” and I asked Jesus, “Do you ever feel that way? Your blood bought us from hell. Do you ever just want to claim us, and fight to hold onto what you paid such a price for?’
His response surprised me, He goes, “Kimberly, I didn’t pay with my life so that I could claim you. I paid with my life so that you could be free to claim me!”
“Whoa! I’m sorry, huh???”
Galations 5:1 says: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Most of us would never think of paying for something and then NOT taking ownership over it. If we’ve paid for it, it’s ours. But yet again, the kingdom of Heaven does not operate on human standards. Jesus himself said things that are typically opposite of what we consider human nature.
“The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 20:16) -I don’t want to be last, if I got there first, I should stay there! Not how it works.
“If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.” (Luke 6:29) -Umm, just NO! If you hit me, I want to slap you back, and forget about asking for my coat, you just hit me!
“Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44) -But that’s hard!
Yet the more I think about what Jesus said, and how He lived, it makes me love Him all the more. He was completely unselfish, valuing the people, over the things. Valuing the relationship and condition of a person’s heart over personal gain. May we live our lives free. May we honor Christ’s sacrifice by emulating Him in our daily walk. The more I do this race thing, the more I realize that to truly live free, I must embrace a dying to my own self, my “nature” if you will, and following after Jesus. When we think about all he’s done for us, it makes getting angry over little things, just stupid. If we think about how He’s loved us in all of our vilest of moments, it makes us see others with a new sense of grace. Or at least it should. What is it that you’re holding onto because you paid for it? Anger? Pride? Hurt? Pain? Let it go.
One of my favorite quotes comes from a movie about brothers who fought evil. Before they would go into battle they would always say: “Live free, die well.” I like that. May we die to ourselves so that we can truly, live free.
