I look up and the young African man in front of me is slouched in his chair with his head down and hands his in his lap. It would appear that it is not just the white people who get hit by the drowsy feeling during these long church services. Then all of the sudden he lifts his head up and says “amen” along with much of the congregation. “Oh, we were praying. Of course.”
This was about an hour and a half into the three hour service. It was neither the first, nor the last time during the service when I realized I had utterly no idea of what was going on. At one point the pastor was telling us about the plans to build a new building, and then we seamlessly transitioned into a chorus of happy birthday. We have been here for two weeks now, so we’re not quite fluent in Siswati just yet. We are very thankful for the translator, but it’s still hard to grasp what’s happening around us. More than a few things get lost in translation, and honestly, it’s downright frustrating at times.
However, God has been teaching me about selflessness. At no point in this journey should the focus be on myself. I’m not attending Sunday service for the sole purpose of my own personal growth. I’m here to do life with the people of this land. I’m here to step into their world in hopes that The Lord can use that experience to speak into their lives.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of selfishness. It’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that we are not here for ourselves. It’s so easy to forget that IT’S NOT ABOUT ME! The good news is that God has ways of reminding us. I see it when I look into the eyes of these people. I see it in their joy as they dance and sing and praise God; the same God that I am in Love with. It isn’t hard to remember. I don’t have to understand what they’re saying, because love for God is a universal language. It’s not about me. It’s about Someone so much bigger.
