At some point throughout the year each one of these revelations was on my “to blog about” list. But for some reason or another they never made it into a full fledged blog, so I’ve decided instead of deleting my list of “to blog about” I’m just going to compile them and write a little tidbit about each.
GOD IS BIG – In London, during our Sunday afternoons at Speaker’s Corner I heard Jay Smith (a regular attendee) tell the Muslims to “get a bigger God”. When asked if he really believed his God came down to earth as a man, ate food, slept, went to the bathroom, etc. Jay would answer “I certainly do, can your god not do that? My God can, if yours can’t, maybe you need to get a bigger God!” It is true, our God is BIG!!! There’s nothing He cannot do. Isn’t it great to serve a God that can do anything, a God that is bigger than we can even begin to comprehend!
GOD CAN USE ME IN WHATEVER HE SEES FIT – All throughout Central America there were giant ants that amazed me. Often I would stop, crouch down, and just stare at the little creatures carrying leaves over 3 times their size. It reminded me that through Christ we can do things that are beyond our own strength, that with His help we can accomplish all sorts of impossible tasks. I am a tool, a vessel, a messenger and God can use me in any way He wants. Yes, there are certain areas that I am gifted in, certain talents that I have, but my usefulness is not limited to those. There may be times when God chooses to use me in a way that I don’t think I’m able, in a way that’s uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but through Christ all things are possible.
GOD LOVES ME – Romania is filled with beautiful old houses that have crumbling walls and peeling paint. Looking at those houses reminded me of God’s love for me. There’s nothing I can do to make God love me less or love me more. I’m like the buildings with crumbling walls and chipping paint… I am flawed, I make mistakes, I sin everyday, but despite all that God loves me. He looks past all that and sees me as his beautiful and wonderful creation.
GOD IS SAME SAME, BUT DIFFERENT – All over Asia they use the saying
“Same, Same, but different”. I think the saying works well for
describing God and his followers. Without a doubt God is at work all
over the world and everywhere we went I saw people madly in love with
Him. Yet, in each place I saw God reveal himself in different ways… for
the Muslims God often shows up in dreams and visions, for
the Africans God truly is the great physician, for women stuck in the
life of prostitution God becomes their provider as they leave that
world in search of income somewhere else. Likewise, in each place I saw believers expressing their love for God in a variety of ways… some worship with
hands raised as they dance through the aisles, some sit quietly or kneel
before the Lord with tears streaming down their face, some speak in
tongues and some sing songs of praise, some preach on street corners
and some hold orphaned babies. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but there is no limit to how He can work and there is no set formula for how we are to worship Him.
“Same, Same, but different”. I think the saying works well for
describing God and his followers. Without a doubt God is at work all
over the world and everywhere we went I saw people madly in love with
Him. Yet, in each place I saw God reveal himself in different ways… for
the Muslims God often shows up in dreams and visions, for
the Africans God truly is the great physician, for women stuck in the
life of prostitution God becomes their provider as they leave that
world in search of income somewhere else. Likewise, in each place I saw believers expressing their love for God in a variety of ways… some worship with
hands raised as they dance through the aisles, some sit quietly or kneel
before the Lord with tears streaming down their face, some speak in
tongues and some sing songs of praise, some preach on street corners
and some hold orphaned babies. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but there is no limit to how He can work and there is no set formula for how we are to worship Him.
GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH AMAZING PARENTS – I’ve always thought I had a great mom and dad but after seeing so much heart ache and hearing so many stories of troubled childhoods, I think it has finally clicked how blessed I am. My parents supports me 100%, they’ve cared for me and provided for me, they’ve laughed with me and cried with me, they’ve encouraged me and challenged me. I thank God everyday for the blessing they’ve been. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.
