Last Wednesday my team and I were painting a church, Iglesia de Vision Christos, in a small mountainous town about an hour outside of Santa Cruz Del Quiche. We were so happy to arrive to the welcoming congregation, after the hour ride in the bed of an old pick up truck through the windy gravel roads. They had walked to the church from all over and were waiting with open arms for us, so of course we were more than happy to paint the exterior of their church.
I was ready to help them in any way I could, or so I thought. About four hours into painting, I wasn’t paying attention, took a wrong step and cut my foot on an old piece of tin (Don’t worry Mom, the doctor said it’s fine!). My instinct reaction was anger and (in my head) I called out to the Lord WHY? Immediately I heard a resounding I’m teaching you to be selfless.
My team and I have really been working on discernment and hearing from the Lord, so I was honestly overjoyed to hear this. It showed me that I only give joyously to a certain extent, but when it begins to require self-sacrifice I become reluctant. This was enough to force me to re-evaluate my heart, and after my team helped me clean it the best we could, I returned to work with honest joy. I was excited to be there and grateful for the opportunity to serve and bless the congregation, the Lord just had to give me a little nudge back to the correct mindset.
I want to be selfless. I want to be concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with my own. I’m still selfish, but the Lord is showing me how to be truly selfless. He’s not teaching me to be selfless simply for the sake of being selfless, but He is reconfirming that He’s sovereign, looking out for me in all aspects, and I have all I need in Him (Philippians 4:11-13).
