It has been a blessing to have spent the last three weeks in
fellowship with these Sisters. I wish I could write pages upon pages of how
amazing these women are, about their different personalities, about how each
one has influenced me in some way or another …
But I don’t know how to. I don’t have the right words. Nothing that I
say would do them justice.
I had come here thinking and hoping that I could be blessing
to the Sisters … I see now that God didn’t bring me to be a blessing but
brought me to be blessed. I am learning so much! Before I came, Uncle Steve
(from Guinea) encouraged me to watch and learn as much I could from the Sisters
and their lifestyle. And I have tried to do just that. I have been intentional
in my watching and listening. When watching, I see what a Kingdom heart is
supposed to look like.
I see love. Love
for God. Love for the Sisters. Love for the young women. Love for the children.
Love for visitors. Love for strangers. Love for nature.
I see joy. Joy
that never leaves despite the circumstance! These past few weeks have been very
stressful for the Sisters, yet they are still smiling and laughing. One of the
Sisters, Sr. Patricia, has been sick for many, many months but I haven’t seen
her stop smiling since I arrived.
I see peace. I
don’t think that I have seen any of them get in a debate or an argument since I
have been here. There is only forgiveness and understanding here. No holding
grudges or judgment.
I see humility.
Life is about serving God, giving Him all the glory and honor, and loving
others with the same love that He shows us. The Sisters start their day with
prayers and praise and then end their day with prayers and praise.
No wonder their love and joy is beyond measure! They walk
every moment of the day with Him.
But I think that the lesson that I admire more than anything
is that the Sisters live in the moment, not in the past or future, but in the
present. They live one moment at a time, one day at a time. No matter what
obstacle comes their way, it doesn’t trip them up. They give God control and
trust Him to take care of everything … I find myself either living in the
future (future job, future dreams, future husband, & future children) or
living in the past (mistakes & regrets). But being here has shown me that
living in the past or future does nothing for His Kingdom right now.
So my challenge to myself is to:
1. Stop worrying about what was or what will be.
2. Trust Him.
3. Focus on the joy of living in the right now.
4. Share that with others.
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Be expecting one (maybe two) more blogs before the end of our trip. Thanks for all the love and support!
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