Have you ever taken the time to think about the way you live your life? The way you go about your day. Do you stop and help a stranger? Do you use words of affirmation? Do you go out of your way to meet the needs of others? Are you thankful? Have you made a difference? Today, my mind has been flooded with these constant thoughts. Day by day I walk through the streets of Kenya and see poverty, sickness, and deprivation. People need medical treatment and food but lack the money to provide for their basic needs. For many, everyday is a struggle. Yet through their hardships they live a life full of compassion and trust. Signs, buildings, and cars are covered with biblical verses or sayings. Many people have a love for the Lord that is indescribable. Religion is not just a tiny facet of their daily Sunday routine; it is their life. I cannot watch these people who are so gracious but have so little and not feel convicted. My mind has been overwhelmed with realizations this week.
Thinking has become a major part of my days. Waking up by 6:30 every morning, days are filled with gaps of time where I can do as I please. It is in these times that I have come to fully know and love silence. I know this sounds silly but silence is something so simple and understated that I never realized the beauty in it. In all honesty, my favorite part of today was standing outside on the hilltop watching the sunset in complete and pure silence. Watching the sun go below the horizon, becoming lost in clouds of pink and purple, my mind was flooded with forgotten memories and avoided thoughts. Usually, I keep myself occupied with trivial tasks or projects to prevent my mind from wandering to truths that I don’t want to accept, but today in the eyes of such beauty I couldn’t run from the reality of my life. I have been blessed with a life of luxury yet often times I look at others and seek more. Want often pervades into my life becoming an unnecessary idol. What I have failed to understand is that the more I yearn for that “perfect” life the farther away I grow from the Lord for within the Lord and his teachings we find perfection. It is the simple things, such as a sunset, that God has created to personify true beauty and grace. Not us. We have to seek him to attain a glimpse of His perfection.
In Isaiah 16-20 it is written,
“Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
What a powerful couple of phrases! Because we are human we will always find failure. We will say the wrong things, make many mistakes, and take things for granted, but because God is a loving god we can take refuge in Him and through his help try to do better. I challenge you to take a time of silence and think about your life. Is there an unspoken truth in your life that you need to face? Be obedient and willing and the Lord will walk hand in hand with you, keeping you strong in your times of weakness. Look at what you have been given and take thanks. Love on those who often times love you and be thankful.
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