Did you know that by the year 2050 Swaziland
will cease to exist if the problem of widespread HIV/AIDS is not controlled?
Did you know how deeply engrained sexual sin/assault and poverty is here? Did
you know that children here walk miles and miles on rough rocks and glass with
no shoes? Knowing this our minds our quick to see the word despair; and before
being here I thought that too. But what I see now is beauty and joy. While these
people may be lacking food, comfort, and clothing, they have the most precious
gift of all. Joy. Joy that comes through knowing the love of Jesus. Even as I
walked miles to a pond to collect water and carry this huge bucket of water on
my head (I wanted to die-and thought I was going to) there was old women barely
struggling. Thats joy. To the children who have one shoe and tattered clothes
yet sing about their mighty God-thats joy. To the woman who have been raped and
abused here yet stand in church and weep because of God’s grace and love-thats
joy. There is so much to be learned by these people. If we stop looking down on
these people because they have ‘much less than us’ we will soon find they have
SOO much more than us. They have joy, and guess what? It’s contagious! I’ve
learned even in my lack of fine dinning, clean clothes, and showers, I can have
unexplainable joy. God is breaking my heart and rebuilding it into his liking.
I’ve been reading through Paul’s letters and as I was reading Romans during
church God just convicted me and revealed such a powerful message to me. Over
and over he said to me “you are not your own.” As I read Romans my
eyes were opened to the fact that I once was so enslaved. That sin was once my
master. God just poured this out to me and I heard these words and wrote what
God put on my heart. This is what i wrote:
“Did you know I once was a slave?
Did you know I once was held captive? Do you know how dark my soul was? Do you
understand the weight of my chains? Jesus knew. He overthrew my master. He
released my captivity. He shed the light. He cut off my chains. He set me free.
I am no longer a slave to sin. Did you hear me? I AM FREE! I am not my own. I
was bought at a high cost. He paid my ransom. My Jesus…He paid it all!!” Because
of this message and through the example of these Swazi’s..I’ve found joy-and
I’m never letting it go. I am not my own…and I couldn’t be happier. Amen!!
