Heyo friends! How’s the good Ol’ US of A?? Lesotho is amazing. Really it is. One of my most favorite months so far. We have a very structured schedule here at Africa 4 Jesus and I love it. Our ministry host Peter has been very intentional with us in making sure we have time to sit with the Lord in quiet times. So were not only doing outreach and pouring out into the nearby villages, but were also being poured into from the Lord and His word (If we choose to use our quiet times for Him). It has radically changed my race. In the past three months I have always had time. Time to read, time to sit with God, time to reflect on who I am and how that lines up with who God is calling me to be. I’ve had the time, but didn’t use it. I choose to sleep in, hangout with teammates, or any other activity that would distract me from pressing into the Lord and the world. Now don’t get me wrong in the past 3 months of Central America I’ve experienced a lot of growth and read books in the Bible I didn’t even know existed(not a joke… Obadiah?? Who knew!) But this month is different. I’m encountering the Lord through quiet times in the morning like I’d never imagined I would. And let me tell you He is teaching me some valuable lessons. Like gratitude.
Seems like an easy enough concept. To be grateful. Right? Apparently for me it was a no. A Big NOPE. God has been breaking down prior thought habits I had created and retraining me to think with a more grateful outlook. Definitely not as easy as it sounds but, one of my squad leaders made a comment last week about gratitude and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. And it has eased me into this process of choosing gratitude.
Gratitude breeds Joyfulness.
Wow…. I know.
God has been showing me that gratitude isn’t something that just happens. It’s not an emotion like happiness or sadness that can be invoked from external sources. It’s a choice. You have to choose to be grateful, you have the free will to decide your attitude towards the things and circumstances going on around you. For example, living here in Malealea is a lot different from home. Our toilets are “long drops” which are the equivalent to an outhouse, I’ve been sleeping on the ground, we literally live in the middle of nowhere, and I have to take cold bucket showers.
But you know what?
I have somewhere private to do my business, I get to have a sleepover with my best friend every night, I am seeing some of the most beautiful views my eyes have ever encountered, and Malealea is in a drought right now but I’m still given the luxury of washing my hair.
These above statements aren’t always easy to choose. When its 60 degrees outside and I come home from weeding a field by hand, my first thought isn’t “Yes! A cold bucket shower!” But I’m learning that it can be “Thank you Lord that I have the ability to shower.” Choosing to be grateful in all situations will never hinder you. It wont slow you down, it wont cause strife, and it will always shine light on the kingdom. So I challenge you to find something in your life that isn’t easy to be grateful for and praise the Lord for it. Because Gratitude will always breed Joyfulness.
