Sabbath

For the last couple of days, Chris and I have had the privilege of spending some time with a beautiful couple that have done some amazing work for the Lord, both over seas and in the United States. It is such a blessing to be able to sit at the feet of people much wiser than myself and absorb much needed wisdom and encouragement. We simply took some time away from all of our worries and obligations and turned our focus on the Lord and His Word... in other words, we got to experience Sabbath.

When I read the Bible, I am always in awe of the fact that although this book was written thousands of years ago, over the course of thousands of years, by people from different historical periods, in different languages and from different places and walks of life, it can still speak to me in a way that reaches down into the depths of my heart and connects with me at the soul level. I love to read different translations and try to imagine which perspective the original writer was writing from and what was on his(or her???) heart at the time. One of the passages we focused on in our time of Sabbath was Luke 10:1-11. In this passage, Jesus is sending out 72 of his disciples to spread the good news that the Kingdom of God is near. He urges them to pray for workers to bring in the harvest. I like the idea that the ones who were praying for workers had already committed to be workers themselves. We can only ask other people to do something that we are already doing ourselves. Jesus goes on to tell those he is sending out not to bring any provisions with them but to rely on the hospitality of those who will receive them. This thought is especially powerful to me as I have gone into a culture and country that are not my own and have been on the receiving end of that hospitality. I feel that I am being blessed, and the Kenyans who welcome us tell us that the blessing is on those who are fortunate enough to receive visitors in their home, so the blessing truly goes both ways. I was also convicted even more to learn how to be a good receiver of hospitality. Sometimes I feel that it is a sign of weakness or inadequacy when I need some thing or some help from someone else, but Jesus instructs his followers to go into other people’s homes and eat what is placed before them. I don’t need to bring as much “America” with me into Kenya and spread as much “America” as I can all around. I bring only Jesus with me, as little America as I can, and then receive all of “Kenya” that I can while bringing the Kingdom of God with me into every home I enter. I think this is what Jesus expected of his disciples and I believe it is what he expects of me. The next few months we will be in the States, and, with no home of our own here, we are on the receiving end of hospitality from so many wonderful people in this country. It is my prayer that I would accept what I’m given graciously, bring God’s kingdom and spread it around freely, and be a bearer of peace everywhere I go.

We also spent some time in Philippians 1. I love “The Message” translation of verse 9. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is that they would learn to “not only love much but well.” I sometimes struggle to know how to do that. I tend to love people only in the way that I have experienced love myself. I only have my own repertoire of experiences to pull from. So what about when I encounter someone from a different culture, or with a different background, or from a different religion, or with different trauma in their lives? God expects more of me than just to lavish love on them in the way that seems most obvious to me. I must take the time to get to know them, who they really are and all of the things that contribute to who they are and love them in the most appropriate way. Incidentally, that is also the way I must learn to love myself. Even within my own family I can put these ideas into practice. Chris needs me to think about him throughout the day, letting him know that he has been on my mind in some small way. Iddy needs me to make time for him, carving out specific time to intentionally focus on him. Ruth-Michael needs me to slow down and take time to explain things to her, come up with a plan, provide structure to her life wherever I can. And Abby-Jones needs me to stop wracking my brain long enough to just laugh with her, and even laugh at her. When she makes a funny face and my giggle box gets turned over I see her eyes light up with pure joy. It isn’t enough for me to tell them often how much I love them and to feel how much I love them way down in my bones (which I do). I have to not only love them much but well. And I have to love each one appropriately.

As Paul remembered the Philippians, he was filled with great joy and spurred on to prayer for them. I pray for those people in my life who fill me with joy, that they would be blessed even more than they have blessed me, that they would be able to both give and receive hospitality, and that we would each be workers and add workers to the harvest each day.