[If you are just joining us we are on a devotional series called “Lessons from Haiti”. I just returned from a trip to Haiti where God has been teaching me an awful lot. So last week and the next few I will be including some of the stories from my trip. Thanks for learning along with me.]
Have you ever had a negative initial reaction to someone who is different than you? Most of us would not like to publicly admit these thoughts and feelings, but most of us have probably occasionally come across someone that may have initiated them. A couple of days into the trip, I had been out building rain catchers when I saw a boy with 6 fingers. (Ironically it was actually after the day when I could have cut my finger off.) I had one of those slightly grossed out/creeped out inner first reactions to the sight. Ashamed, I admitted it to my sister-in-law later that evening. That night I prayed that God would forgive me and redeem that type of negative attitude I had. (Stick with me for the rest of the story.)
When God bring someone who is “needy” into your life, what do you do? Deut. 15:7 says, “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tight fisted towards your poor brother.” Often we look down on people who are needy. They often are not the sweetest smelling, finest dressed, most pleasing to look at, and the list could go on about reasons we may think less of them and avoid them. Over and over in the Bible God tells us about His heart for the poor and oppressed. He commands us to live lives of generosity, helping the poor and needy. Prov. 19:17 says, “He who is gracious to a poor man, lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” In 1 John 3:17-18 it says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” Prov. 14:31 says, “ Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.” Psalms 82:3-4 says, “Give fair judgement to the poor man, the afflicted, the fatherless, the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men.” These are just a few verses highlighting how God wants our hearts to reflect His love for the poor.
So the story continues...The next day we had a rather large, tough mountain to climb. As I was breathing a little heavy, sweating a lot, and looking up the hill that seemed to never end, I felt a small hand squeeze mine. There was something a little different to this little boys grip. I looked down (it could have been any of the hundreds of kids we had met along the footpaths) and there was the young boy with the 6 finger hand firmly holding mine. He had big, beautiful, brown eyes that looked up to meet mine, overcoming a language barrier with his eyes that told me, “Come on, I’ll help you.” It took everything I had in me to hold back my tears. All the way up he tightly held onto my grimy, sweaty hand and never let go. He literally pulled me up the mountain, occasionally helping me over a rock as he pulled with all his might to “help” and each time looked me in the eyes as if to make sure I was ok. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to hold his precious 6 finger hand that day.
Deut. 15:11 says, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed towards your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” Whether it be building rain catchers, helping at your local homeless shelter, babysitting for someone who can’t afford it, mowing for someone elderly, or befriending someone at school or work that needs a friend. Whatever it may be, look to see how God wants to use your life to serve those in need. You may need to first spend some time in prayer asking God to give you an “open hand” and judgement- free attitude. There might be some boys/men reading this, but if you are a young lady listen up. Proverbs 31 gives us some insight into a beautiful example of what a woman living for the Lord looks like. So for this week...Proverbs 31:20 says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”
[As many of you who read this devotional know I have been in Haiti. (A big thank you to my darling sister who wrote last week’s devo.) I don’t know if I can adequately describe my time there. In short, God is incredible! I have never seen such heartbreaking conditions and such joyful people. I can’t wait to go back! During my time there I learned many lessons. I will be sharing some of these with you in a series on “Lessons From Haiti”.]
It is 5:17 a.m. I am sitting on our clinic’s roof watching Seguin, Haiti wake up as I sip on my coffee. The sunrise is spectacular. People are making their way out of their cornstalk, plywood, or rock/clay homes. The men heading to hoe and plant their fields, despite the land that has not seen rain for quite some time. The women are holding their babies and the children giggle, sing, and dance for us. Life here is beautiful despite the conditions. It is simple.
Read along with me in Mark 11:1-5...”As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.”...To start off the passage Jesus tells two of his disciples to go get a tied up colt. One different thing I noticed right away on the first day driving up the mountains in Haiti was cows (or donkeys, sheep, etc.) were all over the place tied up to a rock or stick. There were no electrical fences keeping herds of animals in like you'd see in our farms. As I got to know the people I discovered most families, if they were fortunate, had one animal and they tied it up at a different place daily to graze. Here is an example.
Continue to read with me in Mark 11:6-10 …”When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”...As I became more familiar with life in Haiti I began to appreciate the simplicity and started to relate more with my Bible readings to Jesus’ day. The first day we drove into Seguin, a little village hours up into the mountains, our big truck coming in was a big deal for the people living there. Many kids throughout our journey ran out with much excitement to see us, some even followed us for quite some distance. As I observed the Haitians, I couldn’t help but think our lives here in America have limited us in our awe and excitement, especially for the one who deserves it. Everything in the U.S. is “done up” big. There is glitz and glam everywhere! BUT wait- Jesus, the King of Kings, rode into Jerusalem on a mere donkey. He did not come to this world to impress you or give you the new, best thing. He simply came to give you Himself, the best thing there is.
We are missing out because we are so distracted. Our text message goes off, we have a notification on facebook, our show is on, our phone rings, a new email pops up, we have to figure out what to wear, what is in the fridge to eat, and the list goes could go on and on. It’s not that the normal life full of blessings living in the United States is a bad thing, but how much have those things distracted you from God. Are you in awe of God or are you too distracted by what this world might have to offer you that you pay no attention Him? Turn the distractions off and let His awesomeness fill your heart and life. He wants to show you awesome things and use your life for His awesome plans. Pretty soon there will be a day when all of the distractions of this world will mean nothing. All that will matter will be if you know this awesome God.
We've all seen the saying "Keep Calm and Carry On", but where did it come from? This saying originated from Britain in the 1940s. The poster was to be a morale boost for the British people after the invasion of Germany. Since the invasion never occurred, the public never officially saw this poster. It was believed that most of the posters were destroyed. After almost 60 years, a book salesman found a copy of one of the posters hidden in a stack of old books purchased at an auction. Although the writer of this saying is unknown, it continues to encourage people to this day. Have you ever found encouragement from an old saying or phrase? Just as the government of Britain longed to encourage their people with this saying during challenging times, God encourages us through His Word. During difficult times, I have been encouraged by Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." This verse reminds me of the fact that God is sovereign, meaning all things are under His rule and control! At moments in my own life when times get hard, I tend to try and fix problems by myself. Life is ultimately not in our control. By surrendering our plans to the Lord, we can see Him begin to work. In Proverbs 16:1-3, it says, "The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established." Think of two areas in your life that you're trying to control. Do you have fear of losing control in these areas? How can God be given full authority in those areas? Jeremiah wrote the to the Israelites in Exile, giving them comfort from the Lord, "For I know the plans that I have for you, 'declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Since God is sovereign and His plans are perfect, why are you still trying to control these areas? Ask God today to search your heart. Give these areas in your life you have tried to control to our sovereign Father. There will be times in our lives where we must "Keep Calm" knowing that God is in control, and we can continue to trust in Him and "Carry On". Please continue to pray for Kari and her team as they minister among the Haitian people and will be returning home Friday.
