I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus my Savior did come for to die
For poor, ord'nry people like you and like I?
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.
When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cows' stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
And high from God's heaven a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall…
I Wonder As I Wander is one of my favorite Christmas hymns, it's melody and lyrics both searching for resolution while reflecting on the mysteries of Christ's love. There's a beauty to it that stays with me, even when Mozambique's sticky days and sweaty nights make it a little more challenging to get into the Christmas spirit.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we are living in very basic accommodations. Let me break that down for you: I sleep on a floor, shower out of a bucket, and get acquainted with a smelly hole out back a few times each day. I knew that having months like this, far removed from my First World expectations, would be part of the race; and, I can thankfully say that God has given both my team and me grace to be joyful here. But, being joyful doesn't make it any less uncomfortable.
While worshipping the other day at a youth conference we're attending here in Beira (for all you IHOPers, I call it “Onething Mozambique” in my head), I was thinking about how truly uncomfortable I was. My skin has developed a second layer consisting mainly of sunblock, bug spray, and dirt. When it's hot out (“when” meaning “all the time”), my sweat mingles with it to create something that I can only describe as sticky. To travel around, my team of 7 squeezes with 15 other sweaty people into chapas designed for 14. And the smell… I can't even complete the sentence. Just imagine it. Washing off the day's grime depends on the availability of water from the hose in front of our home. I sleep poorly, and, when I wake up my back is stiff from sleeping on the floor. I eat whatever's offered to me whenever it's offered. Fried fish heads at bedtime? Sure. Wonderful. Fantastic.
It's real easy to think about all the comforts of home right now. A shower, a bed, a familiar meal, my favorite clean clothes, air conditioning. Ice cream. My car. Apart from leaving family and friends behind, I also left a lot of comforts. And this thought comes to me while worshipping, a thought that the final verse of I Wonder As I Wander explores:
If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing,
Or all of the angels in heaven for to sing,
He surely could have had it, 'cause He was the King.
Jesus left everything he had in heaven to be here with us. I am so terribly uncomfortable, and I only left New Jersey. Jesus left heaven.
I'm becoming so much more aware of his love for us. Part of loving someone is sharing experiences with them, and Jesus came to earth to share his light with our gritty, sweaty, humble selves. He had nights when he went to sleep smelly, and mornings when he wondered how all that dirt got under his fingernails. But more than that, he humbled himself to the point of death because each of our lives are precious to him. He got uncomfortable so that we could be comforted, for now and forever.
I pray that my desire for each person I meet here would be the same as his, that I would love like he loves, that I would never stop wondering at how mysterious his love is. I hope that you can take some time to wonder at his love during this sweet season. You are blessed, be thankful, and Merry Christmas!
