Coming back to Jesus

These past 48 hours have been so sweetly marked by simplicity. I have been in Albania for the past week working with a child sponsorship ministry, and church named Living Water in a small lake town, Podredagc. A large portion of our ministry is to love meet people, build relationships, and ultimately share the Gospel. 

I have just recently been able to put to words something God has been placing on my heart this past year which is  the immense amount of blessing this year has given me. Being able to see, encounter and approach places, people and things from different perspectives has easily been one of the most humbling experiences in my life. Today, for example, I was able to fully experience the resounding truth in the statement “simple acts of kindness go A LONG way.” A smile & genuine conversation have the power to drastically change the trajectory of someone’s life or leave a lasting impact.

Today two of my teammates/friends and I baked and delivered cookies to the men and women at the local market. I’m almost certain that not a single one of them spoke English. We weren’t able to communicate much further than an excited wave and genuine smile. A few things from this moment stood out to me. The first being that in each bag of cookies we wrote out a Bible verse in Albanian (Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ dies for us.”).  As I watched each of these people take a bag of cookies and read the Word of God, I couldn’t help but feel an immediate amount of humility, peace and conviction. That moment left me contemplating how often we over complicate the simple gospel. How often I, out of my own insecurities, add a bunch of extra words and fluff to ensure that I know what I’m talking about and have “the right thing” to say. This has just left me wondering, what would it look like to create more space for the Lord to move and work in the gaps. The second thing that stood out to me was one of the men’s responses. He took the bag, read the verse and then put it back in the basket. He didn’t speak English, although I think that he was saying he was too a Christian and was eager to give us a gift in return. He then proceeded to give us each a fresh pear from his fruits that day, washed it and asked each of us our names. That simple act of kindness and quick exchange of words in which neither of us completely understood what each other were saying, created space for Jesus to MOVE. He fills the gaps.

From what I have observed from my time on earth and spending that time mostly in America, is that we have a desire to produce a love , in which I believe, comes from a genuine space, but it often times gets lost in translation when we try and force upon others what we believe our version of love to be.

It’s about coming back to the feet of Jesus. It’s about saturating ourselves in His word and giving him the space and room to fill the places that we actually don’t understand.

 “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30

 Growing up in the American culture we think it is our job to teach, correct and share. What if we made it more of a priority to show up, be a listening ear to someone and point them to the simple Gospel because we desire to see them through the eyes of Jesus? At times, We can often get stuck in this cycle of taking on the unspoken responsibility of needing to fix or correct. Honestly, I think we are uncomfortable with being uncomfortable and we do all that we can to try and make ourselves feel comfortable by putting our identities in our opinions.

We attempt this by creating viewpoints and arguments with the hopes that we will appear that we have some sort of answer. What IF we actually allowed ourselves to sit in the discomfort of the tension. The discomfort we feel from not knowing what the flip is going on. And instead of pointing fingers and assigning value to people based on what they believe, we practice the art of simply asking someone how their day has been and genuinely meaning it? I honestly wonder what that would look like, the peace and relief that would give.

 It’s no secret that our world is broken, and has been since the Fall. I know a lot of hurt and confusion is going on all around us, but in all reality we have seen this kind of depravity and destruction since Genesis 3. I know we won’t experience wholeness as a world until Jesus comes back (Romans 8:22) but I often wonder what would it look like if our immediate responses to people was to genuinely allow them to feel heard, not so much understood but heard. I believe and have seen this hold true from my personal experience this year that when we take a pause from our busy lives and direct our attention towards another, the desire to be understood is actually not the root of one’s loneliness.

 A friend of mine, and girl on my team, shared her story with us tonight (a shortened version of how she met the Lord and what He has walked her through since). She shared that she met the Lord through two older girls simply asking her how her day was consistently. Wow. This just makes me sit and think why have we spent SO much time and SO many years over complicating the gospel. It’s all about coming to the feet of Jesus. Our God is a big, powerful, complex yet simple God who can use what seems like simple obedience of genuinely asking someone about their day to radically transform their life.

If I’m being honest, it is hard to remember this simple truth. I have spent the past 8 months hearing the word “ministry” more than I think I ever have in the entirety of my 23 years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this word and heck PRAISE JESUS that I have been able to be a part of some freaking incredible ministries who are changing lives. Although, I have to constantly remind myself to come back to the feet of Jesus.

“But, Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” 1 Corinthians 10:17

Just like everything else, if I am not rooted in truth and love,. iIf I’m not asking for eyes like Jesus’, I can lose sight of the simple Gospel, I can be tempted to make it about me, my words and my understanding. This month I have asked the Lord to give me a new energy and passion for His kingdom and for His people. My prayer, as I finish out the race and continue with life afterwards, is that I don’t allow my fleshly desire to overcomplicate or appear to have the answers to prevent me from opportunities to extend love & grace and allow Jesus to fill in the gaps.

 Thank you Jesus that we serve a Lord who is perfect beyond all understanding. That you stand in the gaps for us. That you fight the battles we so desperately try to fight on our own, but you so patiently remind us of your love. Thank you for your abundant grace.