It was the first morning of being on the Island Zapatara. I had just woken up from an average night’s sleep in my tent when I heard it.. a terrifying sound… buzzzzzzzz. I sat up and looked around. I could see hundreds of shadows of tiny bugs surrounding my tent. I mustered my courage and unzipped my tent. As I stepped out into the open, I saw the terrifying site… thousands of gnats swarming around our cabin on the island.
These events unfolded last week when my team, Sculptors 7, and team Women of the Well spent 4 days on the Island Zapatara on Lake Grenada. We worked with the locals to help build the first church on this island. It was amazing to have the opportunity to build the first church for the 300 families on this island. Although the construction was hard and physically exhausting, I had a positive outlook on what we were doing. However, there was one feeling that I could not escape during my team on the island:
UNCOMFORTABLILITY
There were gnats in my mouth, nose and food constantly. The belongings in my tent got wet from the rain every night. I had a painful ear infection the whole time. And during our breaks from construction in the afternoon, there was nowhere to sit comfortably and rest (unless I wanted to sweat in my tent).
Now, before I continue, I want you to know that I actually did enjoy my time on the island. I loved getting to know the locals and their children and I loved the ministry that we did. I had fun during our time cooling off in the lake. I even enjoyed some of the hard labor we did. However, I just could not get comfortable and be at ease in my surroundings. I just wanted to get away from those dang gnats….
After the 4 days of the island, when I was back in Grenada, I began to read a book called “Kingdom Journeys” by Seth Barns. We were supposed to read this book before we left for the Race, but because I am a procrastinator, I waited until this past week. But, God works everything out for the good because I could not have picked a better time to read this book! In Kingdom Journeys, Seth encourages believers to let go of the comforts of their life and to step out into brokenness and uncomfortableness. This is because we do not grow in our faith by being comfortable.
When we have “all the things” sometimes we don’t make room for God. We do not have a reason to ask Him for help and trust Him when we “have it all”. I know that by reflecting on my own life in America. When I had the comforts and distractions of the American life around me, I relied on my material possessions rather than God. When life got tough or uncomfortable, I escaped from my problems by running to my possessions instead of facing the discomfort and trusting God to provide for me. However, when I was on the island, there was nothing I could do to escape from my uncomfortable surroundings. Through those times where I had to face my discomfort, I had to trust in Him to help me. When I was hot and tired, I could not escape into the comforts of my air conditioning; instead I had to ask Him for peace. When gnats were flying in my nose, I could not escape by going into a house, instead I had to ask Him for comfort.
God should be our ultimate comfort. Although we might have to face trials and hardships, God always has a plan. We have to trust that His plans are good. And sometimes, it takes experiencing the discomfort of gnats to bring us closer to Him.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
