As I make my way around the world on this journey, the Lord has given me new eyes to how simply His children live. I am sitting in Swaziland right now and surrounded by the most beautiful, dirty faces, true free-range animals, mountains, and lots of mud due to the rainy season. Life is so much simpler here. Less is the way of life and it is the way life has been lived for years. Less means living in mud huts on homesteads, water has to be gathered from a well, walking is the mode of transportation, and smiles are free. As I make home visits, straw mats, which they also use to sleep on, are set out for us to sit on. They offer us their best and don’t stop insisting until we sit down. I used to view these lifestyles as harder, but now I see how easy they are because they don’t care about all the unneeded things that distract us from what we really need.
All we really need to understand is how much Jesus loves us and what great plans He has for our lives. These plans don’t always go the way we want or plan, but in the long run, He has our best interest in mind. As I meet His children I see their true joy for the King of Kings, and for many kids, He is all they have. They live in mud huts, don’t have many clothes, and live off the land, but knowing Jesus is the best and only thing they have to hold on to. There is an understanding of who He is and their joy everyday is waking up to serve Him. I now understand that I don’t need so much stuff to live and life is better off without all of the stuff. For the first 6 months I have learned that 8 bottoms and 10 tops is plenty of clothing. During cooler months we layer up and experiment with ways to keep warm but I have yet to go without anything I need. All my needs are, and continue to be, abundantly met by God.
These needs look a lot different than most of my life. For instance: AC, heat, washing machines or dryers, a car, running water, have been replaced with needs like: clean drinking water, ease of using my Visa, sometimes a roof, and I have yet to have my world come to an end. Amenities have been redefined and my standards of living daily life have been drastically lowered. I have come to learn that these lowered standards make life easier and make me have full dependence on the Lord in all I do. Dependence to give Him all I have everyday, whether I am praying for the sick and needy or simply spending time with Him. I signed up for a lifestyle of abandonment and the World Race lifestyle has taught me to depend on the Lord for everything.
I ask for prayers for the Lord to continue to give me more and more joy everyday. Without Him and this joy I couldn’t be out here in the world serving Him the way I do daily. I honestly love this lifestyle and all that the Lord has for me here. This season of my life proves to be the most fulfilling and proof that serving Him is the best way to live on this earth. Serving Him doesn’t mean having to travel to a foreign country, you can serve Him right where you. I challenge each of you to see how you serve the Lord to better His Kingdom. If you’re not sure, seek Him and He will give you ways to serve Him. As always thanks for the continual support and prayers on my Kingdom Journey.
