Satan has allowed us to become distracted and bothered by things which are not important to our calling here at Beautiful Gate and in Lesotho. He has lied to us, frustrated us, discouraged us, etc. We have taken our eyes off Jesus and His calling and lost track of our purpose and goal. As I sat in church yesterday and really reflected on these past few months of waiting for our car and waiting for our boxes in the container, I realized that we have been wasting our time. We cannot control for a single minute when either of those things will arrive. And honestly, will they help me to better serve God here at Beautiful Gate? Will I be a better witness for Jesus because I have a car or because I have a comforter on my bed? Will I serve His purposes for my life better because we have more crafts and toys for the kids? As I thought through all of these things I realized something which I am sure is not profound to you, but it was for me.... It is just as easy to lose track of the goal and be distracted by worldly things and frustrated about things which we cannot control here in Lesotho as it was in Zeeland.
We still have our faith, our health, the resources we need to be warm and well-fed, and we have each other in our family, but we have not been thankful for those things. Instead we have been focused on what we don't have. We certainly are aware that we have much more than all the Basotho's around us and that has bothered us, but it did not bring us to our knees in thanksgiving the way it should. Most of our Basotho friends live in tiny one to two room cinder block houses and we are living in a great house. We have running water and though it is unpredictable and will run out on occasion or is cold, at least we have running water and do not need to go out and use a pit toilet when it is 32 degrees at night. We can use the Beautiful Gate truck once a week to get groceries and also on Sundays for church and only 2 of the 40 staff at BG even own a car! We have not been forced to use the public transportation yet. We always have more than enough food to eat and rarely have the same meal more than once a week and they eat papa and moroho each day. We have so much to be thankful for and our time would be better spent thanking God for what we do have and less time worrying about what we do not have. Sometimes God says yes, sometimes He says no and then sometimes He says not yet. My prayer is that we will please Him with our actions and attitudes while we wait for His not yet to be a yes.
May God help each of you in whatever it is that has been your distractions. May you persevere and keep your eyes focused on Him.
Anita
sister you have touched me in so many ways through your writing. You are right. Nothing will help up better serve God, than our faith. We need to stop looking and longing for things we do not have, and praise Him for the things we have. LOVE YOU!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow that you have learned that, I bet the things that you have been waiting for will come. How much more joy they will bring when they do come or maybe you will decide that you don't want them after all.
ReplyDeleteAnother encouraging post. Why is it that you are encouraging us instead of vice versa? I pray that I will be more of an encouragement to you going forward. - Jaclyn
ReplyDeleteVery true, all very true. It really is so easy to get distracted by the unimportant things and lose track of the goal, yes even for us here, the goal is the same.
ReplyDeleteHebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Keep running! :)
Karen B.