rachel
11-22-2007, 04:32 PM
One of the difficulties with a ministry which has an international
outreach
is what to do with the traditional holidays. Today is Thanksgiving
here in
the United States, but in the rest of the world it's just another
Thursday. The message of Thanksgiving is certainly global, and I tried
to
send messages with the general theme of thankfulness this week. If you
have missed these messages they are posted in the archive at:
http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
One of the traditions in many homes at Thanksgiving is to gather for a
meal
and have each member say something about what they are thankful for.
Many
people are thankful for things like good food and family and health.
These
are certainly worthy of our thanks. I myself am often overwhelmed at
how
blessed I am in these areas. But I also wonder about the resolve of my
praise if all the externals were one by one taken away. Would I still
have
eyes which could see the blessings of God and rejoice with a heart of
thanksgiving?
2 Corinthians 4:18
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For
what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
In August of 2005 I traveled to western Kenya and was taken to a small
refugee camp. The camp was located on five acres of land which had
been
donated to a group of people displaced from their homes due to a civil
war. The war had been over for several years but the people remained
and
constructed homes made out of mud and sticks. The homes provide
adequate
shelter, but the land contained nothing else - no food, no water, no
sanitation, no electricity...nothing! Here's a picture of the area:
http://www.gdwm.org/images/Africa/Kenya0-520.jpg
One of the things I was asked to do during my visit was minister to a
group
of widows who were gathering for prayer. My head was spinning as I
made my
way to the small common building which functioned as a church. There
were
children everywhere and my stomach was knotted at hearing how it's
pretty
routine for one child to die within the camp every week because
medicine is
so difficult to obtain.
There were no windows in the little building so my eyes had a difficult
time adjusting to the low level of light. I was guided to the
customary
seat of honor at the front of the gathering and after a few songs was
asked
to bring the Word of God. I have never before felt so completely
inadequate. There in front of me were about twenty five women,
generally
older, all with heavy lines of hardship and pain on the face. What
could I
possible say? How could I possibly understand?
I decided to ask the women to share a small item of praise, thinking
perhaps it would help them to shift their focus off what they did not
have
and onto what they had. Oh my!! For the next hour each woman took a
turn
giving praise to God. There was not the slightest hesitation in their
free
flow of praise. They praised God for their feet and hands, for the sun
and
the rain, for the air they breath and the opportunity to live another
day,
and for the love of God who gave His Son to die for their sin. I sat
and
cried. They did not need my help in the slightest.
When the ladies were finished I just stood and said thank you.
It saddens me when discontent and discouragement creep into my heart.
I'm
ashamed at how self-centered I can become. So much so that I miss so
many
of His wonderful blessings. Perhaps today would be a good day to
consider
adjusting our focus. What gives us reason to feel blessed and
compelled to
praise? This is pretty convicting to me so I need to stop. But
perhaps we
could pray that our eyes would be opened, that we would see His
blessings,
and that our hearts would freely and continually praise.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
************************************************** ***
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
outreach
is what to do with the traditional holidays. Today is Thanksgiving
here in
the United States, but in the rest of the world it's just another
Thursday. The message of Thanksgiving is certainly global, and I tried
to
send messages with the general theme of thankfulness this week. If you
have missed these messages they are posted in the archive at:
http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
One of the traditions in many homes at Thanksgiving is to gather for a
meal
and have each member say something about what they are thankful for.
Many
people are thankful for things like good food and family and health.
These
are certainly worthy of our thanks. I myself am often overwhelmed at
how
blessed I am in these areas. But I also wonder about the resolve of my
praise if all the externals were one by one taken away. Would I still
have
eyes which could see the blessings of God and rejoice with a heart of
thanksgiving?
2 Corinthians 4:18
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For
what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
In August of 2005 I traveled to western Kenya and was taken to a small
refugee camp. The camp was located on five acres of land which had
been
donated to a group of people displaced from their homes due to a civil
war. The war had been over for several years but the people remained
and
constructed homes made out of mud and sticks. The homes provide
adequate
shelter, but the land contained nothing else - no food, no water, no
sanitation, no electricity...nothing! Here's a picture of the area:
http://www.gdwm.org/images/Africa/Kenya0-520.jpg
One of the things I was asked to do during my visit was minister to a
group
of widows who were gathering for prayer. My head was spinning as I
made my
way to the small common building which functioned as a church. There
were
children everywhere and my stomach was knotted at hearing how it's
pretty
routine for one child to die within the camp every week because
medicine is
so difficult to obtain.
There were no windows in the little building so my eyes had a difficult
time adjusting to the low level of light. I was guided to the
customary
seat of honor at the front of the gathering and after a few songs was
asked
to bring the Word of God. I have never before felt so completely
inadequate. There in front of me were about twenty five women,
generally
older, all with heavy lines of hardship and pain on the face. What
could I
possible say? How could I possibly understand?
I decided to ask the women to share a small item of praise, thinking
perhaps it would help them to shift their focus off what they did not
have
and onto what they had. Oh my!! For the next hour each woman took a
turn
giving praise to God. There was not the slightest hesitation in their
free
flow of praise. They praised God for their feet and hands, for the sun
and
the rain, for the air they breath and the opportunity to live another
day,
and for the love of God who gave His Son to die for their sin. I sat
and
cried. They did not need my help in the slightest.
When the ladies were finished I just stood and said thank you.
It saddens me when discontent and discouragement creep into my heart.
I'm
ashamed at how self-centered I can become. So much so that I miss so
many
of His wonderful blessings. Perhaps today would be a good day to
consider
adjusting our focus. What gives us reason to feel blessed and
compelled to
praise? This is pretty convicting to me so I need to stop. But
perhaps we
could pray that our eyes would be opened, that we would see His
blessings,
and that our hearts would freely and continually praise.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
************************************************** ***
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm