Hey Everyone,
So, I had a light bulb moment today that I thought was worth sharing. Growing up I used to live in a fishbowl town. Everybody in the County either knew my parents, my grandparents, or me. My Mother even use to joke about how if I did anything dumb in public it would get back to her. Cause she has eyes EVERYWHERE!!!
Having the opportunity to travel around the world, I have learned one crucial fact. The world is way smaller than I ever thought. Its just one giant fishbowl. Prime Example:
I met this super awesome young woman one time at the hospital I was volunteering with in Penang, Malaysia. The young woman had grown up as a missionaries kid and then went off and works with children ministry now.
Well, imagine my surprise in China when I saw her eating breakfast at the hostel I was staying at. Except it wasn't her at all. It was her Identical twin sister. That's right…I met her identical twin sister who is working in China teaching English. So, moral of the story…It's a small world after all…
Back to my light bulb moment….I had a little bit of free time the other day which is a treasure in the ministry world. Its rare for us to get two hours off in the afternoon, so I took full advantage of it. I went outside and decided to work on a chalk drawing.
I didnt have anything particularly exciting planned but next thing I knew there were children squating on the ground watching me. So I drew, smeared, worked the colors together, just enjoying the moment. When I finished, some of the kids were pointing and talking about the picture. They were all talking in Romanian and I can only guess what they were saying.
Most of the children left after awhile except for two. One little girl who I care about a lot came over and started walking all over my drawing. Internally I was like…Child, what the heck are you doing? Don't you know how much work that took? Why are you walking all over it?
Externally, I was trying to encourage her not to step on it…and then I saw it…that mischievous gleam that children get in their eyes right before they decide to do something bad. She leaned down and smeared probably half of it while looking at me while I just stood there.
I had two choices in that moment. I could either storm away and sulk about my ruined picture or I could give grace and love to this child who just irritated me to pieces. I'm ashamed to say that I walked away and sulked about my picture. And that is when the light bulb went off.
I had just read Acts 16 that morning about Paul and Silas being imprisoned. In verse 24 it talks about how Paul and Silas were held in the inner prison and how their feet were bound in stocks. Now, I'm by no means an expert on prison life but I would say it wasn't a fun place.
How did Paul and Silas react to doing the Lords work and then being thrown in prison? Complain? Grumble? Curse God? Storm off if they could have? Questioned?
Nope. They were examples. In Acts 16:25 "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." They could have easily dwelled on the negative but they didn't. They praised God and the prisoners heard them. They were witnesses for God even when they were chained up and not doing "official" planned ministry.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that people are watching. There is always someone watching and listening even if you don't realize it. Even when you are supposedly not on "duty". (That's more of a reminder for me). But that's the funny thing…we are to be witnesses for Christ in everything we do. EVERYTHING. We're not really given any time off . Jesus doesn't say be an example but then you get a day off a week.
The little girl was watching me along with who knows who else, waiting to see if I was different from the other people in her life. Waiting to see if I would love or get angry. In that moment with the drawing…I wish I could back and change it. To show that little girl love and grace. But I can't. The moment has passed. Lesson learned. So, please don't be like me and miss a moment like that to show Gods love.
-Rebecca
Here is the Chalk Drawing before getting smeared. Oh by the way…it rained later that night and was gone by morning anyways.
