Mosaic

March 25, 2011: PART TWO

I spent a huge part of my day working with mosaics at Ethembeni.

Tonight in D group, I realized something. We are mosaics.

We start out as a glass figure of some sort, carved by our own agendas, issues, and limited understanding.

Then a time comes when the Lord decides to break you. He smashes apart all of your pre-conceived notions, your misconceptions, and the identity given to you by the world.

But it is here that the Lord takes the pieces that are worthwhile and molds,, shapes, and places them to create something new, and something more beautiful. The work now reflects the craftsman and is much more beautiful than before.    

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then death is at work in us, but life is at work in you…

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

-2 Corinthians 4:6-18

We are fighting an unseen battle. When I’m discouraged, I will remind myself that. Because even though OUTWARDLY, we are wasting away, we are being renewed day by day.

Satan thinks he is winning by attacking the physical body. But what chance does a body stand against the spirit when God commands the spirit?

Today, I was completely broken. It’s one thing to hear about the problems Africa faces. It is quite another to fall in love with African children and see how they are directly impacted by these problems.

How can I possibly help these children? All I can do is let them play with my hair, hold them, perform cheesy skits, and give one of them a sweatshirt.

How does that really help?

Something that is amazingly comforting is just knowing that all I have to do is be open to what God is doing, and He will work through me. There is nothing I have to do but volunteer to be the chess piece God uses in a particular time and place. I am the vessel, and He is the miracle.

I couldn’t believe how joyful they are. They have literally NOTHING. And yet, they praise God. Tonight in D group, Liana reminded me that, “Blessed are the poor.” NEVER has that been so true. They are blessed because when they are given ANYTHING, they are JOYFUL and THANKFUL.

Having material items does NOT make us blessed. It makes us blind. We are blinded by physical things! Africa has faith because they have NOTHING else! But how would you rather be?! The LORD provides for them! And they are close to the LORD because they are reliant upon Him!

I am not saying it’s a curse to have things. It’s not. But, too much of anything is negative, hey? I believe it is my calling to bless others. Where much is given, much is required.

Liana was just a fountain of wisdom tonight. One of my favorite things she said was, “You’ll never see change in yourself until you stop looking at yourself and start staring at Jesus.”

It’s hard not to stop and question, “How am I changed? What’s different?”

And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

But how much more change could be occurring if you don’t get in the way of God’s plans by examining yourself?

Not only am I staring at God. I am chasing after him.

Today God smashed me into a thousand pieces. He is busy designing and creating my mosaic. I am hoping when He is done, the mosaic will not look like me. I am hoping it will be a reflection of the craftsman.