Journal Entry

Halfway through another week.

A journal entry from a few days ago:

As usual it's been a very long time since my last journal entry. But much has happened since then including graduation from college and a move to a new country. So today I'm sitting here at our little round table on the patio of our little apartment in Las Salinas, Peru. I'm sipping a cup of coffee that will probably do more for my intestinal regularity than my taste buds, but it's hot and good all the same.

Tuesday will mark four weeks that we've been down here which kind of baffles my mind when I think about it. They say time moves slower in South America but that doesn't seem to be the case for us. So I guess the question that begs to be answered is; What have I learned so far from being here?

The answer to that question is something that I'm wrestling with this morning. Is it bad that half a dozen things didn't pop into my mind right away? I guess if I really gave it some though I could come up with a few things that God has taught me about my life and the way I walk through it.

I should start with the lesson that hit me even before we stepped foot on the plane. For someone who likes to have things in order and ready to go and often takes pride in his ability to do so, forgetting my passport was quite a lesson in humility. It was also a reminder from God that he holds all things in his hands even when we screw up or fail. He got us down here a day later without any trouble at all. It was almost like he was saying, “Remember, you can’t do this thing on your own or by your own strength.”

So what else? What else have I learned here? Well I guess I’ve learned quite a few lessons in flexibility over the last few weeks. In everything from living with eight different people in close quarters to dealing with mistakes and confusion on the construction site, flexibility has certainly been the name of the game here. It’s funny how even though I know that in order to be a servant I need to be able to lay down my own wants, desires and preferences for the sake of those of others, I still find myself holding onto them with an iron fist. For some reason I can’t just tell myself, “Don’t care about yourself so much!”

Which takes me to my third lesson, which is finding an unselfish, servant-like love for others starts by finding the same thing with God. I’m convinced that the only way I can truly love others by pulling down the walls of selfishness and pride is by letting God’s love dwell in me. I need to give him control of everything and not try to manage parts of my life on the side. I need to wake up every morning by finding my joy and hope in his love and salvation.

So I guess God is teaching me a few things here and in fact there are many others that I haven’t listed. As usual He’s been faithful and he has heard my prayers and cries for help. It makes me wonder what other lessons he’ll send my way in the weeks to come.