But He said to me, "My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you." So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me. II Corinthians 12:9 (NCV)
Ethiopia |
God is still revealing the lessons behind what He showed me while I was in Ethiopia. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I have to admit I am. The majority of things He showed me weren't what I expected. Oh, I tried to go with an open mind—I even told several people I didn’t have any expectations. But, as always happens with my best intentions, preconceived notions had crept in unaware.
I had expected to be exhausted when I got home—a perfectly logical, harmless expectation that seemed to make perfect sense at the time. After all, working for God was hard and would take all my strength.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
- What I found was that I wasn't working FOR God—He was working THROUGH me.
- He hadn't sent me there to do something FOR Him. He had sent me there to do something IN me—and then to use it to touch others.
- I immediately realized that I couldn't accomplish a thing with all MY strength—but when I relied on GOD'S strength I saw miracles.
Ethiopia |
These truths brought with them a time of refreshing and a miraculous freedom. A veritable flood of blessings in the dry, dusty continent of Africa. It was a freedom that could only come through total dependence. I had no control over where I stayed, what I ate, or even the work assigned to me.
Beautiful picture of His power and love. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to see Ethiopia through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteYour heartfelt words reflect how deeply you've been changed by this experience in Ethiopia. Thank you for sharing, Edie.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how God surprises us when we set out to do something for Him? I love that He showed you things other than you'd expected. Thanks for sharing a bit of your experience in Ethiopia.
ReplyDeleteEdie you wrote some powerful doctrine there. God always works differently that we "humans" think, doesn't He?
ReplyDeleteAnd the cool thing is, how God affected you there in Africa is spilling out on those around you.
ReplyDeleteI love your stories of Ethopia! Keep them coming!!!!
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