These three months in Malawi have been anything but what I expected. It’s been so much better. I have enjoyed calling this place home and it will always hold a piece of my heart. I have experienced so much joy here in the city of Lilongwe.
In this season, the Lord has been walking with me through poverty of the heart and being poor in spirit.
“The ‘poor in spirit’ can be poor, lonely, rejected, or have nothing, but the nothingness empties them of the illusion of their own power, enabling them to rely wholly on God. Without our insulating security, we have no refuge but God.”
I see poverty of the heart as having none of this world in my spirit, only the Lord and all of his goodness. Poor in spirit, because all the Jesus in my spirit is being poured out into the world in everything I do.
Malawi is the fifth poorest country in the world. When I think that, I don’t exactly think joy because as an American, I am privileged probably a little too much. Setting aside my expectations, I see the people of Malawi to be living in joy. This sounds cliche but it’s so true. They call Malawi the ‘warm heart of Africa’.
It’s rainy season so it’s been raining the majority of this three months. I love napping while it’s raining or call it a lazy day, but being out in the rain isn’t exactly my favorite. It frustrates me, I want a rain jacket, an umbrella, and to find shelter as fast as possible. As I walked outside as it was raining here, I noticed life still happening the exact same way it does when the sun is out. Children are playing, people are whistling, walking, riding bikes, and doing life in the rain. I assume these people have decided life is life, raining or not. They find the joy and keep going. They choose to be happy.
This reminded me of poverty of the heart. When all that’s in your spirit is the goodness of the Father, that all you can do is rejoice in thankfulness even when a storm shows up. Instead of becoming frustrated and searching for an umbrella (safely and avoidance), persevering and seeing God working in it, just rejoicing and being thankful.
I have one more day here in Malawi before I head to Guatemala and lately I’ve been having a hard time with the leaving process. I’d love to stay back in Africa or I think of how nice it would be just to go back home and love on my family rather than to a new country. So God points me back to poverty of the heart.
At home I have comfort, and here I have comforts, but i don’t have much in Guatemala right now because I haven’t been. I don’t know anything, fear of the unknown. The Lord told me “I have taken away these worldly comforts in this season so that you could empty your heart of this world and have it filled with nothing but myself and all my goodness.” He asked me to press into Him because that’s all my spirit needs.
He has given me peace and comfort telling me that just as He gave me a purpose here in Malawi, He also has a purpose for me elsewhere. He has big plans!!
I encourage you to let the Lord dig out the worldly things in your spirit and fill up the holes himself. Choose joy in the storms because God has a purpose and plans. He is a good God.
This journey of Jesus and I has been so sweet and special. Please be in prayer as my squad transitions countries. Thank you for all the support and prayers!!
much love
