How He Loves
This past week, Monday through Thursday, I went with my school to Arizona. By the way, this is my first post since we returned to the US about two months ago. Nothing in my life has really been “blog worthy” until now. This wasn’t just a camp where we learned about nature and went hiking. No, this was a learn-more-about-yourself-and-your-savior trip. Just to let you know, I was tempted to write saviour instead of savior, which is the Ugandan/British way to spell it.
I feel like I really understood the point of the trip. The verse for the week was Ephesians 4:1-2 which says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” This verse pretty much tells us what to do to live a life worthy of the calling of God. When I was in Uganda, I was sure I was living the way God wanted me to be living. Since I’ve gotten back, it’s been harder to do that. I’m at school from 7:15 to 5:30 most days and I don’t have time to do anything. Or so I think.
One of the first nights in Arizona, we sang the song How He Loves. It tells us point blank how God loves us. Before Arizona, when I was singing that song, or any song, really, I would sing but I wouldn’t really hear the words. What I mean by that is that I would sing but I wouldn’t get anything out of the songs. I certainly wouldn’t apply it to my life.
You see, I think that I don’t have time to live a life worthy of the calling of God, but I do. While we were in Arizona, a girl told a story that broke my heart. On the last night, everyone on the trip was sharing something either that they learned about the week or really anything at all. Her grandfather died from drug use and her mom would’ve, but she turned to God. She was diagnosed with diabetes when she was four and is now twelve. Her parents recently told her that they were getting a divorce and that she has to tell her little sister. My friends’ sister looks up to her and she knows that it will break her heart when she finds out.
As you know, I’m a crier. I don’t know if I’ve ever shed that many tears in one night. Certainly not from one story. This showed me that we all need to love each other no matter what, and especially when one of us is going through a hard time. While at school, I can live a life worthy of the calling of God simply by showing compassion to others. I never knew it could be that simple.
I hope that everyone reading this remembers this. Whether young or old, a believer or a non-believer, rich or poor. GOD LOVES EVERYONE!!!! I wish I could make the words jump because that’s how much those words mean to me.
“He is jealous for me. Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
-How He Loves David Crowder Band
Love Always, Jennifer Gash
Thank you for sharing about your trip to AZ and what you learned. I’ve been amazed lately at how many times we are told to be gentle, humble, patiet, and to love. These instructions are everywhere and it can either be overwhelming or it can become background noise we don’t hear. I love your reminder to live with compassion and kindness to everyone we encounter. We don’t have to be overwhelmed thinking we can’t do “it”will all, whatever “it” is. Nor should we ignore the calling we have as recipients of God’s grace. We just need to live mirroring that grace one interaction with another of God’s children at a time.