Jamaica Day 4
All week I’ve thought about writing this blog…what will I write about? How will I portray what happened? What is God putting on my heart to blog about? Well I asked myself those questions and I had all these ideas on what I would say and the parallels I would draw. Now the day is finally here and I can’t think of what to write…but maybe that’s the point.
Maybe I’m not supposed to draw a grand conclusion from the day or have a life changing revelation to blog about. Rather God is telling me to look at the smaller things that happened. While some of the most impacting events are larger than we could’ve imagined, I’ve realized that all beauty isn’t found in grand or profound things. And sometimes you can find the big things that God wants you to see through whispers rather than roars.
So today I got to see His glory in all the small ways, and it truly was magnificent. From the time I woke up, He was showing me. When I went out to work, He was there. He’s never left my side, and I know He never will.
Looking back, I can see all the little things that He has done for me today. The slight breeze when I was really hot. The cloud cover to lessen the brightness of the sun. The occasional spray from the water hose. The smile on someone’s face as a joke was made. The laughter that spread like wildfire. The small games we would play. The sun shining on my face, breaking through the clouds.
Everything that happened was God showing me that He is always there. In the little things. In the mundane.
Sometimes I forget to include God in those moments. I come to Him during prayer or when I’m having a conversation about Him with the group, but often times I leave Him out of the rest of my day. I just keep on going without thinking of Him until I get back to group discussions.
But He wants to be included in every part of our day, no matter how boring we think it is. Because in those moments when your washing dishes or eating your breakfast, He wants to be with you and teach you.
Like when I’m eating my breakfast, He whispers, “Remember those who will go without today.” Or when I’m washing the dishes here without a dishwasher, He reminds me, “Don’t take what you have for granted.”
Those little things can be the most beautiful once you start to let God into your “boring routine” or the “little things.”
When I let God into my simple conversation with the residents, He shows me how beautiful each and every person is and how unique and special they are in His eyes. When I let him into my relaxing moments, I feel his Fatherly love and the warm rays of the sun brush against my cheek. I can hear Him whisper, “I will always love you.”
Tonight we ate dinner with the residents, and I couldn’t help but smile when they said thank you through songs and skits. One of the little girls, Danae, was smiling ear to ear and she signed the songs. God showed me how precious each life is to Him.
Later we played a team building game with the residents. We were divided up into four groups, and the goal was to see who could build their lego car closest to the model that we could only see for 10 seconds at a time. He taught me then that sometimes we need to jump in and try to help when we know something. Other times, we need to step back and let others in so they can help when they really know how to do something. It’s not about always trying to be the best at everything. Rather, we should use our strengths to glorify God when we can. When we can’t, we should step back and let God move through our lives to strengthen us. 2 Corinthians 2:19 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
This day has challenged me to work toward always being mindful of His presence in every situation, and I hope that you will take on this challenge too.
Much love from JDV, Anya Wegryn
