[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.
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