“Each person is on this earth for one reason: to love God and people”. These are the words of wisdom Gogo Aliyah shared with us as we sat on the front porch of her two-roomed home earlier this week. They sounded very similar to Jesus` answer when asked what the greatest commandment is. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-39).
Coming to Swaziland my mind was filled with big dreams and ideas of what we would spend our time doing. I imagined our days being filled with teaching Bible stories to children or sharing the hope of salvation with sick patients in a hospital. While I have gotten to do these things and so much more, the Holy Spirit has shown me that the only reason I am here is to love: to love my Father, my teammates, and the people of Swaziland. I no longer have to overcomplicate ministry (and life in general) and that has been very freeing. When I don`t know what to say to a Gogo who has lost 11 of her 16 children and is now raising her HIV+ granddaughter, all I have to do is let the love of Christ flow through me. I simply have to love the little girl who stands outside the CarePoint everyday and stares emotionless into my eyes as I tickle her arm just like Jesus loved the little children.
For some it might be easy to grasp the concept of being placed on Earth to love, but for me it took the Lord bringing me to Swaziland to get it. It`s a truth I am still working on, but I am thankful for the freedom already found in my purpose.
I encourage you to love where you are at today, wherever that may be. Love has the power to tear down walls and point people to Christ quicker than any man-made plans could ever wish to accomplish. The Lord`s purpose for us is clear: to love Him and people, just like Gogo Aliyah said.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12
