The Philippines, our first country in Asia, has been a month to remember. It was Manistry month as the guys of our squad gathered together to work and live with boys who used to live life on the streets. Children’s Garden (CG) is a ministry working to give Filipino boys and girls a chance at a normal life away from the streets. I saw unique parallels this month between scripture and the lives of these young men, as well as transformations in my life. I experienced love from kids I had just met in such an authentic way. I won’t ever forget this amazing month and all of its lessons I learned, especially those from the young men from CG.
Pickpocketing, robbery, fighting, and drug dealing used to be the norm for most of the guys currently living at CG. Sure it’s a lifestyle almost anyone would say doesn’t end well, but can you blame them? They were doing what they saw was right in their own eyes. They were fighters, yes, but they were fighting for their identity and status. They stole of course, but they were trying to fill the desires of their hearts with objects and money. CG provides necessities like a bed to sleep in, three meals a day, and spiritual development. Each one of the boys has a different story and each one is there by choice because they realize the oppotunities on the streets are limited. They saw that many of the people they ran into were living reckless lives without hope.
When reading the book of Judges this month I noticed how we as humans act without guidance. Wickedness and cruelty ran rampant during this time. It says a couple of times in Judges, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” I see a simple parallel between then and now: without a king to lead us, we run to what we believe is right for us. I see it in my life, and these kid’s lives. Looking at these guys for the first time you’d never know they used to be criminals. That’s the redemptive work of Christ the King and it’s playing out in my life too.
I used to live an unfulfilling life of partying and chasing after the next high, whether is be physical or emotional. Short, physical relationships and drunken weekends used to be the norm just a few years ago. After giving my life over to Christ, all of that changed. Not because I felt that I had to change, but because the Lord showed me my true identity as a beloved son of the King. In order to live in communion with him, I needed to stop living in sin, but it was his abundant love that captured my heart and showed me there’s much more to life than the status quo. And even when I do mess up, there’s grace upon grace. It’s amazing to see both the changes in the guys at CG, and my own life, as these changes are continually happening.
On Christmas Eve, we shared arguably my favorite day on the race at an outreach with some of the older CG boys. We carried supplies into an area outside of the main city to share a taste of Christmas with a couple hundred people there. These guys who used to live on the streets are now ministering to the next generation of street kids! It felt more like a summer picnic than a winter gathering as we acted out the Christmas story, played backyard games, and cooled off in the river behind the park. It was amazing sharing laughs with a bunch of smiling children. The lasting image for me though is when we were leaving, the children joyfully gave us handfuls of tiny seashells found in the river. They wouldn’t let us give any to them though, because they knew they had an abundance. I think the same thing happens with love.
When we live out of a place where we have an abundance of love, we then are able to love others. We can only give what we have; this includes love, forgiveness, peace, among other things. When we know our identities as beloved children of the King, we can then live the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:8-9. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The theif comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The message I’m sharing with you is this: without a sovereign king to guide us we will stray and do what we see as right, which leads to a life with unfulfillment. When we trust Jesus to enter in as the King over our lives, we will then be able to love others abundantly, because we have been loved abundantly.
Questions for you the reader: When was the last time you felt truly loved? Where’s an area of life you’re not feeling fulfilled in? Do you trust that God is big enough to fill that void? He loves you more than you know, never forget this simple truth.
We leave for Vietnam on the 3rd for month five of our journey, and communication will be limited. I hope that you’ve had an amazing Christmas and New Years!
