The Capacity of A Heart

Wednesday was the roughest day that we have had on the mission field thus far. So many factors played into these difficult days starting on Sunday with Rabson's severe illness. Monday, a dear friend's daughter became very ill. Tuesday, we received word of how temptation had grasped a new believer and tossed him into actions that will not be forgotten by many. Wednesday, a bus carrying 70+ people crashed 2 kilometers from our home and the same day we received disturbing news about the secret lives of one of our pastors. We cried out to God and asked our prayer partners to intercede for us during this difficult time. God truly used their words of encouragement, His Word, and many many prayers to encourage our hearts and lift our heads to see His glory. Kendall and I pondered upon Paul's missionary journey and how difficult it was. Kendall said to me, "I mean, what in the world did Paul do when people acted like this?" Then he said, "Well, we can tell by his letters back to the churches that he was not always pleased with the reports that he received!" It can be easy to get discouraged and beat down by the circumstances around you, especially when it deals with the hearts and souls of people that you have invested in. 

Thursday, I continued my teaching of salvation to the women at Ukhose. Zeria taught the first part and I concluded with an illustration to help them remember what they have learned this month about salvation. I took a glass and I filled it with dirt. I explained to them the sin that fills our heart and how dirty it is before we come to know Jesus. 

Then I washed the cup with water to illustrate what Jesus does for the dirt in our hearts when we confess that we are a sinner and ask Him to come and live in our hearts. Our hearts cannot be filled with dirt and be clean at the same time. 

Finally, I poured milk in the cup. The milk represented the Holy Spirit who is holy and pure and comes to fill our hearts. 

As I prayed over this illustration today as I went on about my day, I saw that this cup was not only representative of our hearts before and after Jesus, but how we can allow the dirty things of life to crowd out the beauty within our hearts if we have Jesus as our Savior and Lord. This week, I feel like my heart has been in all of these stages. Dirty with frustration, anger at satan, and all of the emotions that come with disappointment. Wednesday afternoon, I just felt emotionally spent...I was thought out, prayed out, and just had nothing to give. Wednesday afternoon I wrote an e-mail to our prayer partners. That same night, people responded to us and Kendall and I rejoiced and were restored by the Scripture and words that they shared with us. Then my heart was filled with the pure joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ and the calling He has placed on my life. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses the Body of Christ to encourage each other and how the Holy Spirit touches our hearts, restores us and teaches us through our times of trials. God really used the women at Ukhose to continue to restore my joy and happiness. When I stopped and looked around after teaching, and I saw the beauty of this place and the smiles on the women's faces, I was humbled and thankful for this time in Zambia. 

Praise the Lord for our trials that draw us closer to Him and teach us more about His unfailing love and omnipresence in our lives. The verses that the Lord has laid upon my heart through this time is Colossians 3:12-17:

"Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father."