June 28, 2007
Though I have been back from my mission trip to Africa for several weeks, I am just now finding the time to sit down and reflect in writing on what the Lord taught me during that trip. The lesson was very unexpected. It came as I was standing in a church building, waiting to speak to a group of Ugandan women on the life of Joseph. I planned for the first session to be an overview of Joseph’s life. The main idea of the lesson was that through all the trials that Joseph faced, God was faithful. The application was that no matter what trials we face, God will be faithful to us as well. I had already taught this lesson to the women at my church and had absolutely no hesitation in teaching those truths. I believe that God is faithful, or so I thought.
By the time I arrived at the women’s conference, I was already overwhelmed by the kind of life that the Ugandan women live. A typical Ugandan woman gets up long before daybreak, walks a great distance to get water, returns home, and starts her morning chores. She washes clothes – no washing machine. She gets the food – by “gets” I mean harvests (no Publix). She cooks a meal – no kitchen. She bathes herself and her children – no running water. If she has extra produce, she will try to sell it to make a little money. She does all of this while her husband, who is most likely unemployed, does practically nothing. The men aren’t lazy - that’s just the culture over there. If her child gets sick, she can’t just call and make an appointment with the pediatrician. There is very little she can do. It’s not that medical care and medicine aren’t available. Most Ugandans just can’t afford it. I worked at the medical clinic pharmacy one day and watched as people waited for hours for a couple of free Tylenol. My heart broke as I thought about the bottles of pain reliever (more than I will ever need) that I have in my cabinet at home. Every day is more or less the same for these women. Many of them have no expectation that things will ever change. I vividly remember sitting in the van on the way to one of the clinics, looking out the window at the people, especially the women, and thinking, “What a lame existence.” I’m not proud of that thought, but it’s the honest truth.
So there I was, about to tell the women at the conference that God is faithful. That He has a purpose and a plan for their lives. That they can trust Him to carry it out. Then I realized something - I didn’t really believe that. Standing there, on that dirt floor, I found myself facing the most intense “crisis of believe” that I have ever faced in my entire life. I realized that I believed all of those things for American women, but I didn’t believe them for these Ugandan women. You see, it’s easy to tell American women that God is faithful, because in America we are surrounded by tangible evidence of God’s faithfulness. The nice houses, the healthy children, the mini-vans, the overstocked pantries, and the list could go on. In America, when we talk about “God’s plan,” the sky’s the limit. The possibilities are endless. Never in a million years would we think that we would be “stuck” doing the same old thing for the rest of our lives. But in Uganda, all of that is stripped away. God’s faithfulness can’t be talked about in terms of “stuff” or grandiose dreams for one’s future.
One thing I know and believe about God’s Word is that it is true any time, any where, to anyone, under any circumstances. So, I knew in my head that God is faithful, even to these Ugandan women, but it took some time for that truth to make it to my heart. It wasn’t until I was up teaching that God opened my eyes to what His faithfulness is really all about. The very first time I said the phrase, “God is faithful” to the women at the conference, they didn’t sit there, waiting for the next point. No, they shouted, clapped, some of them even stood. Their countenance completely changed. What I said about God’s faithfulness resonated deep within their spirits. Why? Because they believed it. Not only that, they had experienced it. Could they show me tangible evidence of it? No, not really. But they had stories, powerful stories of how God had changed their lives, provided for their every need, sustained them day by day, and granted them a joy like they’d never had before. Each time I said the phrase, “God is faithful,” their excitement grew. By the end of the session, we were having ourselves a holy fit – me included! By day three of the conference I began to wonder who had a more lame existence – me or them. I started to realize, it might be me.
God used that conference to force me to confront my definition of His faithfulness. I thought I had it right, but I was doing exactly what I teach women not to do - I was relating God’s faithfulness to stuff. We do this all the time. So often, we say things like, “God has been so faithful to give us this new house.” Or, “God has been so faithful to grant me a complete healing.” I often say, “God has been so faithful to provide me with an amazing husband.” Now, none of these statements are false. Surely, we should give God credit for these amazing tangible blessings. However, is God any less faithful to the couple who can’t afford a house? Is He any less faithful to the woman whose cancer never goes away? Is God any less faithful to a woman whose husband has an affair? The answer to all of these questions is no. God’s faithfulness is not merely measured by the tangible blessings that He gives.
If stuff isn’t the ultimate evidence of God’s faithfulness, what is? Lamentations 3:22 and 23 makes it very clear: “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” True evidence of God’s faithfulness cannot be parked in a garage. It can’t be purchased at the mall. It can’t be logged on a medical chart. True evidence of God’s faithfulness is that great work of salvation that God performed in us through the cross of Jesus Christ. It is that work He continues to do in and through us day in and day out as we walk with Him. It is the hope for a glorious eternity that we carry in our hearts. It’s the knowledge that no matter where we find ourselves – whether it be in a pit of despair or on a mountaintop of joy – He is with us, loves us, and has a plan for us. God’s faithfulness is evidenced by the fact that we can wake up each morning and bask in new mercies. It really has nothing to do with stuff at all.
What I realized in Africa is that no matter where I am on this planet. Whether it’s a safe, beautiful place like my church in Florida or whether it’s the most horrific place imaginable like genocide-ravaged Darfur, I can proclaim with all my might that God is faithful. I can look into the eyes of any woman, no matter what her story, and say with all sincerity, “God has a plan and purpose for your life.” I wish I could have learned that without having to travel all the way to Uganda, but some things you just can’t learn in the classroom. You have to go on the field trip. This, for me, was one of those things.
If you have a minute or two, make a list of how God has been faithful to you, but purposely leave out the “stuff.” You may have to think harder, but I think you will be surprised at all the intangible things that He does each and every day. What you should see after doing this is that even if God gave you nothing in terms of material blessings, you’d be okay. You’d still have a reason to rejoice. In other words, God Himself is enough – more than enough. The stuff is great, but His presence and power are greater still. This makes me think of Habakkuk 3:17-19. Meditate on this one awhile:
Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.