I am working with a lady named Agnes at an organization called POP UP. She teaches a sewing class to 8 women who are learning skills to get a job. I feel so blessed to be able to do this, but there is one thing that I am struggling with. How do I love these women? The way I am used to loving people isn’t working.
I enjoy loving people by asking them questions and really getting to know them. I ask these ladies questions. They usually give me one sentence answers. Now, this is common when you’re speaking to a complete stranger from a different country, but usually over time people open up. So far, this is not the case. These ladies are great friends with each other. During the time when Agnes is not teaching they talk in their language, again impossible for me to join in. I don’t want to be that pestering person that says, “since I am the only one that doesn’t speak Zulu let’s all speak English.� J Then I started to pray for them. This was going okay for a while. When I have them all day every day I am running out of things to say and get easily distracted.
My next plan was to go with them to devotional time. Maybe this way I could have discussions with them about what they are learning. Again, didn’t go as planned and they were not so excited to discuss what they had just learned. I started to drive myself crazy in trying to love them. I forgot the most important thing – letting God love them through me instead of trying to do it on my own.
How else do I show them Christ’s love? Because me just sitting there and standing up every 5 minutes checking their work and giving them feedback doesn’t seem so loving.
But maybe it is. Maybe just being consistent, showing up every day and just saying, “I like that stitch you just did�, or “wow you really took your time and made a straight line with the hook stitch� is some kind of way they can see God’s love.
God gave one of my friends Psalm 127 to share with me. It is about how our labor is in vain if it is done by us and not by God. So convicting, but I am thankful because all I do is worthless unless God does it. Also, He gave me the verse, “be still and know that I am God.�
The next day I just sat there and felt so much peace. Then, the next day the girls started to come to me and ask me questions and wanting help. It was God’s doing, not mine! Today Porsha, a student, came up to me and whispered, “I have a present for you.� She handed me a brown worn purse. It was so incredibly thoughtful. I felt so loved! Maybe it is letting them love me!
