I went with my youth group to a country-side church to hold the church services there. Just seeing how happy they were to see so many young people in their church was enough for me to make me happy that I went. Though I was not planning on it, I was happy that I decided to go as soon as I got there.
At noon, before the AY program, I started to talk to one of the ladies from the church. And she shared with me some things that made me realize one more time that I am so blessed.
She became an Adventist two years ago. Once she started to attend the church, she encountered problems in her own home. Her husband, mother and father-in-law started beating her. To make things worse, she became pregnant though she was in her early forties. Many times she was beaten so hard that she had to leave the house. One time she went to an Adventist shelter, but couldn’t live without her two other kids who were at home, so she decided to go back. Another time, she told me that she was heading to the church when her mother-in-law came with a basin full of dirty water and splashed it on her. She used to work , but, since she has a one-year old son, she cannot work anymore. Many times, she didn’t have anything to put on the table, but God provided for her so far.
So, while she was telling me about her hardships, instead of being sorry for herself , I felt happiness that she found the Lord in her voice. “I don’t want to go back in the world” she told me. “I am so happy that I have found the Lord.” How could she, when she has so many problems at home? some would ask.
Yes, some of us have to pay a price for following the Lord. In fact, all those who truly want to follow the Lord have to pay a price. For some the price is smaller, for some bigger. I have a family of friends who lost their four year old son to malaria while serving God as missionaries in Chad (you can listen to their testimony here). Do you think that this made them give up to the mission work? No, it didn’t. They are still there.
Yes, some of us are asked to leave family and friends behind, some of us are asked to leave the comfort, or maybe some other thing we hold dear to our hearts. How much are we willing to give up, just to be able to be close to the Lord?
I believe that God is sending a “wilderness experience” in the life of each one of us to prepare us to follow and serve Him. I am so encouraged by the story of Joseph, and Daniel, and Ruth and Esther. They are people who faced trials, who passed through wilderness where they learnt to follow the Lord. When God is sending us in the wilderness, it is because he wants to prepare us for something great, for the big plans that He has for us.
So, how much are we willing to pay just to be able to be with the Lord?
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