When
I arrived in Swaziland over 3 weeks ago, I knew that this was a much
different place than America. I could tell by the dirt roads and the
underdeveloped areas, and our homestead, that doesn’t have running
water. But it wasn’t until we went for a walk that I realized that
this place was further than I ever could imagine. Well, I guess I
imagined it as a kid telling jokes. I saw a chicken crossing the road.
When
I first saw it, I could not stop laughing. By the way, the answer to
the old joke is really, to get to the other side. Livestock is
everywhere here in the village of Timbutini (Siswati for “too many
goats”). Cows and goats roam free in herds, and chickens are all over
the place. Unfortunately, that means that there is a lot of remnants
on the roads and fields. And unfortunately you have to get used to
stepping in it occasionally.
So
here we are in a place where most people farm mostly on a subsistence
level, where bucket showers are the only way to get clean, and animals
roam free during the day and make noise all night. And I have zero
complaints. Although there are things I miss and luxuries that I find
myself desiring on occasion, I see that I don’t need any of that stuff
to survive. I like that stuff, but I don’t need it.
I
realize here that there are lot of rights that I need to yield, because
they really are not rights at all. I don’t have the right to be
comfortable; over 2/3 of the world has never had that experience
anyway. A big thing is also that I don’t have the right to my personal
space. I live with 15 other people, not counting the permanent
residents on the homestead. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, and
its a struggle to get time alone to recharge and also time alone to
read my Bible and pray and listen to the Lord.
The
fact is that many of the rights that we think we have aren’t even
rights at all. We don’t have a right to have money and security, a
right to health, or even a right to live safely. We must count
everything that we have as a blessing bestowed by God. That’s
something that I’m learning and hope to take back with me when I go
home. I don’t deserve anything. It’s only by God’s grace that I have
anything.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” James 1:17
In
the poor village of Timbutini, I see more people who have very little thankful for what they
have than the people in America who have a lot. There was a man the other day who
injured his leg, and had to quit his job because of it and remarked
that the Lord has given him too much. It convicted me of my
selfishness and that I have so much, even if my future is up in the
air. I have a family who loves me and friends who are always
supportive of me. I’ve never had to worry about where a meal was
coming from.
Although
I never think that I will live in poverty, the Lord is still good even
if I have to. I don’t think I’ll go hungry, but the Lord will bless me
with whatever food I get. Sitting here in Timbutini, I realize that I
have so much that the Lord has given me, and I should not be
complaining about how I don’t have enough. God gave me salvation, which is much more than I deserve. If He doesn’t give me another thing as long as I’m alive, He’s already given too much.
