Have you ever had moments when you feel like it’s Christmas all over again? You know, like receiving those spontaneous gifts from a close friend, both big or small, that make you feel so loved and appreciated… this month on the World Race I have felt a taste of Christmas all over again in so many levels!
During the past couple days I’ve had to remind myself that I’m on the World Race. Ever since arriving in Arad, Romania, I’ve felt showers of God’s comfort in my heart and surroundings. After living in a tent for 2 months, without electricity at times, and taking cold, bucket showers, our living standards this month have drastically changed. My team is working with a Christian camp this month in a small village called Lipova. We live in a cozy cottage, take hot showers, cook our own food in a kitchen, wear warm, “second-hand” clothes left from the previous World Race team who stayed here last month, and have internet access up the hill in our “castle”, the main camp building. It’s similar to the feeling of Christmas morning after opening all your presents… I just can’t help but glow with gratitude! Who would have thought I would feel so thankful and blessed to receive things I thought I couldn’t live without before the Race. It’s truly amazing what I often take for granted until it’s removed from my life.
But then I think about the little boy I met in the Dominican Republic, Jonaji, and that he’s still living in a shack with his flustered, angry parents constantly yelling at each other. Or the homeless lady I almost walked on in the streets of San Juan, without realizing she was there. The construction workers in Haiti who work hard all day just to provide a meal for their families. The little boy who worked with us a couple hours in Haiti just to get some peanut butter and food to bring home to his family… and I realize I still have a choice.
I have a choice with how I live my life. It doesn’t mean I have to live just like these people for the rest of my life to equate to their standard of living. It doesn’t mean I have to let go of God’s blessings over my life… rather, it’s what I do WITH His blessings. How am I giving back? How often am I committed to praying for the hurting, the broken, the less fortunate? How can I simplify my lifestyle rather than indulging myself with material items I don’t really need? Would I truly be willing to give up my life and live with the poorest of the poor? After reading Heidi Baker’s book, “Compelled By Love”, I realized that it is often the poor we must learn from- their desperate state causes them to rely on God in a capacity that we often cannot comprehend with. I pray that God continues to transform my attitude to learning from the poor and broken, as well as keep me in a constant state of gratitude for His blessings!
So, as I cherish and enjoy the blessings of living in our beautiful village in Romania this month, I’d encourage you to do the same thing! Look at your surroundings and reflect on your blessings today. What are you thankful for? What has God blessed you with recently, both in big or small ways? In what ways are you willing to let God invade and change your lifestyle? How can you share God’s blessings with others? Just as God is showing me how to maintain a thankful heart, I pray that He uses this example to remind you not to forget the small things He’s blessed us with.
