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On March 21, three young people and five sponsors from my church,
including myself, went to the Dominican Republic, a small country that
shares an island with Haiti. The Dominican is an impoverished country and
the vast majority of its inhabitants have a lot of difficulty finding a
job
to help support their families. Most live in a 2-3 room house, and the
number of people living in that house can range from 7 to 14. Sounds a
little too cramped, doesn't it? Sounds like these people have little
reason to be happy and content, doesn't it? It SOUNDS like the Dominicans
should be worried, stressed out, and caught up in their
less-than-comfortable lives, wishing that they lived anywhere else but
where they live.
In fairness, I'm sure that some of them are like that, but those that I met and befriended were different. No televisions, no telephones, no electricity, no running water. Things that we in America would think of as necessities, and they had none. So why the happiness? Why the joy? JESUS. They have come into contact with the One they could call Father; Abba, Daddy. They have met the One who knows exactly how many hairs are on their heads. He knows exactly what they need both spiritually and physically, and they believe that He will provide for them. They know that if they take up His cross and follow Him that He will not let them go hungry or want for anything. Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" They literally depend on Him for EVERYTHING. Can you imagine that? A life that is totally dependent on God. It really challenged me to stop and think about the things that I have; the things that I hold on to. What did I consider "necessities"? 5 pair of blue jeans? A house? A t.v.? More c.d.'s than I know what to do with? Please understand, I do not think that all of these are "bad," but I do believe that they can very easily get in the way of our dependence on God. Matthew 10:9-10 says, "Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support." I challenge you, as God has challenged me, to sit quietly at the feet of the King and evaluate where you are in your relationship with Him. Over and over in the Word he tells us to just "follow me." He'll take care of everything if we would have the courage to keep our eyes fixed on Him. God bless, and may this lead to a time of incredible growth in your relationship with our Savior. ~Jen Travis |