While in Haiti trip numero dos, Joel read the sermon on the mount from Matthew (also referred to as the Beatitudes). I was moved to tears listening to the word of God. I cried in front of our entire group as I shared what God put on my heart. I cannot recall clearly what I said, but I remember being grabbed by "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied."
Justice has always been a passion of mine. Up until 2005, I planned on becoming a Supreme Court justice. I studied for and took the LSAT. I decided against becoming a lawyer, because I knew the job would burn me out. I had stopped believing in God while I was in college, so being a lawyer without knowing Jesus as Savior would have been unbearable. I also stopped reading the news when the United States waged war against Iraq. The news of the world was just too sad. My frustration grew, because I could not fix the problems of the world. I still have to remind myself that the position for Savior of the world has already been filled. (Can I get an Amen?)
One thing I have noticed, and if you are friends with me on Facebook you may have also noticed, is that I appear to be hungering and thirsting after knowledge. I've been bookmarking and sharing articles and websites related to Haiti, justice, missions, and, honestly, I'm not sure what else because I struggle with time to read all of it.
I'm excited to see how God will use me. To be honest, I was very frustrated with my lack of progress since returning from Haiti. I submitted an article to the San Diego Tribune that will be published tomorrow in the editorial section. I am beyond excited as I truly see two verses at work in this: Psalm 37: 4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart, and John 5: 19 Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing by himself." Growing up, I wanted to be a published author. Perhaps, I will never publish a book, but a newspaper article feeds into that same desire. I also feel, however, anxious about what I wrote. I barely remember what I wrote. Are the thoughts I wrote the ones that should be shared with the world? At this point, I can only trust God, and I trust that He guided me as I wrote what I submitted to the San Diego Union Tribune. I am still waiting to hear from the NY Times. I submitted a different article. I have an idea for a third article with an idea of where to submit it.
I am just so thankful to see God use me. I asked Patti what I could do while we sat in the common area of Pastor David's house one evening. She mentioned writing editorials for newspapers. BAM. God made it happen. I am in awe of how God weaves our lives together, how God uses us to encourage each other.
I grasp possibilities rather than rely on facts. Counseling has helped me see this imbalance. I am really excited about how God is actually helping me gather some facts as I feel voracious for information. Yesterday my counselor asked me about future trips to Haiti, and I said that I did not know. I'm focusing on living authentically, which means serving my community. My goal is to consistently participate with service events through Adams Avenue Crossing and to regularly attend a Haitian church service. Prayers for the later will be much appreciated. Prayer for time to read everything I have bookmarked in my web browser would also be much appreciated.
More importantly, I pray that we all may learn to listen to God, so that we may help those had he has created us to help. Thousands of people asked Jesus to heal them, but he only healed those whom the Father told him to heal. God has a plan to satisfy all of the injustices in the world. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment