Such adorable little girls my nieces are. This is the kind of picture you would expect to come from missionary children living in Africa doesn't it? They've had a rainy week. My sister is 33 weeks pregnant and on bed rest.(or supposed to be! Rest Laura!) They live in a little tin shack...so you can't really contain them can you? Can you imagine the mess after they came in from playing in the mud?
How about this...when I was in Africa, there were flies everywhere. I'm talking, sitting in the outhouse trying to do my thing, and flies are swarming but butt. Flies are always around the kids. Its like the kids are immune to them. They don't even try to shoos them away. You see them sometimes in their nostrils, on their eyes, on scabs. Always on food.
With this nicer weather here the past few days my kids have been playing outside more, which means more opening and closing the doors, which means more flies in my house. It also means, dirtier kids at the end of the day, which means more sweeping and mopping and laundry, and vacuuming, and scrubbing. More complaining at night when Lana can't sleep because of the fly buzzing around in her room. The night that this happened and daddy was trying to kill the stupid fly, I lay in bed thinking about the ridiculousness of this situation.
Here I have a house with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a washer that I don't have to hand crank, a dryer, a vacuum, a TV, any many other creature comforts. And yet, we are having trauma over a stupid fly buzzing around the room.
Good grief. How pathetic is that. Remember that old Steven Curtis Chapman song, "We will abandon it all for the sake of the call."?
What in the world am I abandoning for the sake of the gospel? I sure do have a lot to abandon and yet here I sit on my butt, that is not being swarmed by flies in my nice bathroom that I complain about cleaning. (not that I am sitting on the toilet currently and typing!!! you get my point right?!)
So here is my challenge, to myself, and to everyone that reads this blog. What can I abandon this week for the sake of the call? What does that mean to me?
I mean, I guess I could let some more flies in and abandon a good night sleep, but what will that prove in the light of eternity?
5 comments:
Awesome post, MRHL! Very thought provoking. As for what can I give up? If I lived near civilization, I'd give up Starbucks and send the month I saved to a missionary. Do I have no such delight. Dad and I have already swore off TV for the most part so we can enjoy each other's company.
I'm sure if I get creative I can find something.
I think the most important aspect of all this is heart attitude. Telling the Lord, yes, I'm willing to leave whatever You desire me to behind for Your sake and then obeying when I know He is clearly speaking to me.
Love you!
E would have loved playing there. She was pretty dirty in dominica...minus the mud. Thanks for making me think!
Good post! (especially the part when you had to clear things up so we'd all know you weren't actually on the pot while blogging. Ha! Oh, but that would have been so much better! I dare you to pot blog! I just dare you!)
yes, very good post and reminder to be thankful in all situations. i'm glad you are blogging.
oh and i like this idea for a blog better that the one we discussed on the phone yesterday.
Post a Comment