When asked to summarize this month in Ecuador in a couple sentences I realized I can do it in a few words. Peace, joy, and beauty. Peace in things that I can’t control, joy in times when it would be easy to be bitter, and beauty beyond what a camera can capture.
Peace has come in many forms this month. From deaths in my family to getting my phone stolen on a crowded public bus. Being fully aware that I’m not in control yet being completely okay with it. The definition of peace: freedom from disturbance; calm. A life with God at the center gives the opportunity to live free from disturbances and to be 100% calm in His presence. I’ve seen peace so present in the families who come to Pan De Vida (the ministry we are partnered with this month). A calm in the storm of their life. They enjoy a hot meal, a church service, some are in a micro business sewing program, but all receive a momentary freedom from the stress of providing.
When His peace is so overwhelming, it makes room in our hearts for joy. This month has solidified my understanding of joy being a personal choice. I look at happiness and joy as separate emotions. Joy is a choice, not a side effect. Joy is choosing to have hope for what God has planned, joy is choosing to be happy when things get hard, joy is choosing to be a light when it would be easier to hide. Choosing to find the joy in the things that would otherwise harbor bitterness. Choosing to believe that the person who stole my iPhone needs it more than I do. Choosing to remember that Stacy is dancing, cancer free, in Heaven. Witnessing joy in people who have no reason to be happy yet smile with a joyful radiance. Choosing every day to remember that there is still good in the world.
Once peace is felt and joy is chosen, the beauty of God is hard to miss. This month has me convinced that Ecuador is God’s canvas. Looking at the mountains and seeing a green patchwork quilt. Being on the coast and seeing the ocean change from clear blue to a deep navy. The city, full of concrete buildings creating a blank canvas against the hills. Massive volcanoes dotting the landscape. Smiles of families as we hand them a bag of hot food. Tight Ecuadorian hugs with a kiss on the cheek. Long talks in a coffee shop with a stranger. Staying up all hours of the night in a little church singing songs and sharing how God is moving. When Spanish is limited, everything becomes “bonita”. Which I’ve found is true for so many things. Beautiful is often the only word needed.
I guess all of this adds up to a mindset. A choice for every day. A choice to find peace in midst of disturbance, joy in the hard things, and beauty in everything.
Peace:
John 16:32-33 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And weboast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Joy:
James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Beauty:
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Isaiah 40:26 “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
Check out our ministry for the past month at http://pandevida.org.ec/
I am also still in need of $1,894 to be fully funded. To join me on this journey click here
