Have you ever stopped to consider what a "blessing" actually is? A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Proverbs 28:20. All to often in our Christian world today people tend to think of a real blessing only in the sense of financial. How many times have we heard, "Oh the Lord blessed me with a little extra money." I'm not saying that blessings can't be monetary, but I would venture to guess the blessings the Lord really wants us to have are spiritual. Those things that help us or another person grow.
While in Belize I had a real burden for the teenagers there. Most of them had been in the school for many years. They were from all different religious backgrounds, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist and so on. They had heard many different things throughout their life and really were a little confused. They were good kids and for the most part really wanted to do the right thing. I found out quickly they were just a little unsure of how to go about giving their lives to God.
I had one student in particular that I had a heavy burden for. I had a burden for them all but this one was different. I prayed consistently for him to give his life to the Lord. It seemed the more I prayed the more dead set against it he was. He would say, "Oh, don't waste your prayers on me Miss, I have no interest in being a Christian." It would break my heart knowing that God had this master plan for this young man and he just couldn't see it. For months I'd pray and we would talk to him about the Lord, but to no avail. Sometimes children get things in their head that make them think that they have done so much wrong God could never forgive them. If He did forgive them, they would have to go make up to everyone they had ever wronged and have their forgiveness also. Unfortunately, that's how this young man felt.
I kept trying to think of ways to let the teenagers know that God's forgiveness was all we needed. To take our sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive us, for some reason it was almost as if that was too easy and they didn't really trust that was all it took. Then it dawned on me one evening, the song by Casting Crowns, East to West. The words are so profound in that song, God cast our sins as far as the East is to the West, forgiven and forgotten. I brought the words to that song to Sunday school on one Sunday morning and had the children read them out loud. Then we talked about what they really meant.
Honestly, I can't really remember the exact time frame but at some point after the young man asked me to pray that the Lord would give him a desire to give his life over to him. Of course, I immediately went home and Aunt Carol and I prayed for him. God is so very faithful, before leaving Belize 4 of my teenagers gave their heart to Christ. To this day, 3 years later, they are all still serving Him and very soon will be attending Bible Colleges in the United States.
The young man who didn't want me to pray for him because he had his own plans for his life, he wanted to be a pilot, will be attending college this fall and getting his degree in Missionary Aviation. To God be the glory!
I say all that to say this, blessings in the form of money will NEVER top spiritual blessings for me and shouldn't for any Christian! Now I'm not going to turn away any money the Lord gives me, but it's not what keeps me going. The fact that I can influence a young person to turn their life over to Christ will always be more of a motivation and blessing for me!
Showing posts with label Belize Continued. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belize Continued. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Humble Heart Will Do Wonders
Have you ever felt like you really need to speak to someone about how you have treated them? You don't understand why they just don't respect you. Yet when you really think about it do you give them the same respect you're wanting from them? I found out that respect is not always deserved, it must be earned, especially when we aren't doing our part in respecting the other person.
While teaching in Belize I had a young man who I would literally pray would not be at school on some days. He was such a handful and drove me insane quite often. This in turn caused me to be very short and impatient with him. On one occasion out of pure disrespect he ate the detention slip I had given him in front of me and the entire student body.
This particular young man was Leroy. He was a 14 year old boy, who lived in a not so caring home. One evening while at home the Lord clearly spoke to me and told me, "You will not win him until you apologize." I was so taken aback, I didn't feel I had anything to apologize for, but the words were spoken again. I told the Lord I would apologize the next day. The day came and went and I didn't apologize. Over the weekend I was feeling very overwhelmed in my spirit because I had not done what I told the Lord I would do. So I decided on Sunday evening the first thing in the morning Monday I would talk to Leroy. Would you know it Monday came and Leroy did not show up for school. As a matter of fact, he was very ill, he had a very serious kidney problem that he could die from. He had been taken to the hospital on Sunday with a 102 fever and an infection in his kidney. I immediately thought he could die and I would not have been able to apologize to him, although I was still unsure as to what I was apologizing for. I prayed night and day for him to return to school and each day he didn't show up. He was not in a hospital that I could go visit either due to the location.
After many days I was so upset, I began begging the Lord to help him to get better so that I might be able to speak to him. A week later he walked into the school building. I had never been so happy to see him in my life! I jumped up from my desk and ran over and hugged him and told him, "I was happy for him to be back." All the while he was looking at me as though I had lost my mind. I let him settle into his day and at lunch I called him outside. I proceeded to tell him my story and how the Lord had spoken to me and I needed to apologize and at that moment the Lord told me what for, it was as if a light bulb went off in my head. I cried and asked him to forgive me because my behavior was no better than his. I would allow myself to get upset with him and be just as disrespectful to him as I felt he was to me. I spoke to him about his spiritual and physical well being. I told him I loved him and from that point on I would be treating him with a different attitude. He never looked at me but accepted my apology and went on his way.
God truly works in mysterious ways. From that day on I never had another problem out of Leroy. He would bring me mango's from his mango tree (they are my favorite) and always treated me with utmost respect. He is one of the many students I will never forget. I learned a valuable lesson from him that semester about respect and how to obtain it. As far as I am aware Leroy has not given his heart to the Lord and I'm not sure what is going on with his health. I just pray the Lord will continue to work with him and not give up on him till He has won him over.
I do not tell you this so that you might see where I lack but so that you might see that the Lord can humble even the teacher to the student for His glory alone. Is there someone you need to humble yourself before? If you haven't already humbled yourself to Christ, that would be the first place to start. He will help you with anyone else from that point on.
"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4
While teaching in Belize I had a young man who I would literally pray would not be at school on some days. He was such a handful and drove me insane quite often. This in turn caused me to be very short and impatient with him. On one occasion out of pure disrespect he ate the detention slip I had given him in front of me and the entire student body.
This particular young man was Leroy. He was a 14 year old boy, who lived in a not so caring home. One evening while at home the Lord clearly spoke to me and told me, "You will not win him until you apologize." I was so taken aback, I didn't feel I had anything to apologize for, but the words were spoken again. I told the Lord I would apologize the next day. The day came and went and I didn't apologize. Over the weekend I was feeling very overwhelmed in my spirit because I had not done what I told the Lord I would do. So I decided on Sunday evening the first thing in the morning Monday I would talk to Leroy. Would you know it Monday came and Leroy did not show up for school. As a matter of fact, he was very ill, he had a very serious kidney problem that he could die from. He had been taken to the hospital on Sunday with a 102 fever and an infection in his kidney. I immediately thought he could die and I would not have been able to apologize to him, although I was still unsure as to what I was apologizing for. I prayed night and day for him to return to school and each day he didn't show up. He was not in a hospital that I could go visit either due to the location.
After many days I was so upset, I began begging the Lord to help him to get better so that I might be able to speak to him. A week later he walked into the school building. I had never been so happy to see him in my life! I jumped up from my desk and ran over and hugged him and told him, "I was happy for him to be back." All the while he was looking at me as though I had lost my mind. I let him settle into his day and at lunch I called him outside. I proceeded to tell him my story and how the Lord had spoken to me and I needed to apologize and at that moment the Lord told me what for, it was as if a light bulb went off in my head. I cried and asked him to forgive me because my behavior was no better than his. I would allow myself to get upset with him and be just as disrespectful to him as I felt he was to me. I spoke to him about his spiritual and physical well being. I told him I loved him and from that point on I would be treating him with a different attitude. He never looked at me but accepted my apology and went on his way.
God truly works in mysterious ways. From that day on I never had another problem out of Leroy. He would bring me mango's from his mango tree (they are my favorite) and always treated me with utmost respect. He is one of the many students I will never forget. I learned a valuable lesson from him that semester about respect and how to obtain it. As far as I am aware Leroy has not given his heart to the Lord and I'm not sure what is going on with his health. I just pray the Lord will continue to work with him and not give up on him till He has won him over.
I do not tell you this so that you might see where I lack but so that you might see that the Lord can humble even the teacher to the student for His glory alone. Is there someone you need to humble yourself before? If you haven't already humbled yourself to Christ, that would be the first place to start. He will help you with anyone else from that point on.
"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
When it rains it pours!
The first couple weeks after we had arrived in Belize we realized life was going to be a little different and an adjustment. We had a two bedroom apartment with cold showers (or bucket baths) whichever you prefer. We had to warm water on the stove if you wanted anything to be lukewarm. Our fridge was the size of a dorm room fridge and our stove was like a camping stove, but it had an oven attached. We had to walk up two steep flights of stairs to get to the top and once we were in, there was no air conditioning or glass in the windows, which left the apartment open to little creatures. Snakes were prevalent in the area, however prior to leaving we prayed for the Lord to keep us protected and to not allow us to see any snakes. God is faithful and did just that!
I'm by no means complaining about our living conditions, considering some of the homes we visited throughout the country we were very privileged. We had the basics and that was really all we needed to get by. The best part about the apartment was from our back porch landing was a wonderful breeze right off of the Caribbean Sea. We were only a mile or so away and it was beautiful. I loved sitting out there during the evenings drinking tea, eating something sweet and chatting with whoever was around, plus it was the only place I could sit and pick up any internet connection at all.
We found out quickly that things were not going to be as we knew it back in the states. We had to walk our trash out to a field and have it burned. Guess what are in those fields, you got it SNAKES. We usually paid Junior to take our trash out or I would run like the wind, (for me a quick jog is about as fast as I can run) to throw it in the pile and make a bee line back to the cement sidewalk.
Then it happened.......the rain started. We were new to the rain situation and Belize and oblivious to the fact that our apartment filled up with water quickly when heavy rains came. This would explain why the floors were cement. A rainstorm came that bordered on a small hurricane! I was awakened by rain pelting me in the head and Aunt Carol saying oh so calmly, "Monica, you may want to get up your room is filling with water." Ugh, what a sight. We spent hours sweeping the water out of the house and mopping and drying the floors with towels, it was a mess. Through all the rain and mess that needed to be cleaned we never once said, "Lord, why would you let this happen?" We had not been there very long, couldn't He just wait to give us something like this to deal with. No, we knew we were supposed to be where we were and whatever came our way would be of the Lord and for His purpose.
It taught me a good lesson that day, even when you're in the Lord's will, you still might get soaked! It builds character when we have to deal with things that are unusual or even unpleasant. God wants us to be well rounded people able to rely on Him in all situations, but not surprised by any, whether it be inches of rain, feet of snow, loss of anything important to us or even someone not speaking kindly about us or to us.
I was thinking upon this scripture lately and trying to figure out what God is really trying to say. "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45 It's good to know when the sun and rain come, He is my father and I know it's coming from Him and His protection will be there also!
I'm by no means complaining about our living conditions, considering some of the homes we visited throughout the country we were very privileged. We had the basics and that was really all we needed to get by. The best part about the apartment was from our back porch landing was a wonderful breeze right off of the Caribbean Sea. We were only a mile or so away and it was beautiful. I loved sitting out there during the evenings drinking tea, eating something sweet and chatting with whoever was around, plus it was the only place I could sit and pick up any internet connection at all.
We found out quickly that things were not going to be as we knew it back in the states. We had to walk our trash out to a field and have it burned. Guess what are in those fields, you got it SNAKES. We usually paid Junior to take our trash out or I would run like the wind, (for me a quick jog is about as fast as I can run) to throw it in the pile and make a bee line back to the cement sidewalk.
Then it happened.......the rain started. We were new to the rain situation and Belize and oblivious to the fact that our apartment filled up with water quickly when heavy rains came. This would explain why the floors were cement. A rainstorm came that bordered on a small hurricane! I was awakened by rain pelting me in the head and Aunt Carol saying oh so calmly, "Monica, you may want to get up your room is filling with water." Ugh, what a sight. We spent hours sweeping the water out of the house and mopping and drying the floors with towels, it was a mess. Through all the rain and mess that needed to be cleaned we never once said, "Lord, why would you let this happen?" We had not been there very long, couldn't He just wait to give us something like this to deal with. No, we knew we were supposed to be where we were and whatever came our way would be of the Lord and for His purpose.
It taught me a good lesson that day, even when you're in the Lord's will, you still might get soaked! It builds character when we have to deal with things that are unusual or even unpleasant. God wants us to be well rounded people able to rely on Him in all situations, but not surprised by any, whether it be inches of rain, feet of snow, loss of anything important to us or even someone not speaking kindly about us or to us.
I was thinking upon this scripture lately and trying to figure out what God is really trying to say. "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45 It's good to know when the sun and rain come, He is my father and I know it's coming from Him and His protection will be there also!
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