In my last blog I mentioned all the reading time there is in Haiti. Last weekend a group of were together when one of the UN Commanders told a Swiss nurse, you Swiss have watches; Haitians have time. This is so incredibly true. Burton and I both loved the quote and have repeated it often during the week. When waiting hours for an appointment, sitting in traffic waiting on a bus to load - Or repair an axle, or waiting for bedtime from 4:00 in the afternoon on.
In Haiti you have all the time you need. One day this week I started to apologize for it being such a slow day, when the Spirit reminded me of all He had done through us that day. I instead listed those in our conversation. We were both struck by how God is able to work through us, even when we don't realize it is happening; or in the many small things we as humans tend to blow right by.
I have read several good books this trip. All very convicting. Perhaps the best has been Radical by David Platt. As I struggle with balancing working at home with my ever increasing time commitments in Haiti, this book speaks straight to my heart. If you get the chance to read it, I suspect it will do the same for you. Burton brought it with him, and it has provided us with hours of spiritual discussion material as we discussed it and challenged each other with thoughts from it.
One of the most convicting parts in it for me was where it points out that most of our churches or denominations have some kind of checklist for a "plan of salvation". Most are 4 or 5 points long depending on what type you attend. He then made the point that the true plan is to sacrifice all you own for the poor; hate your mother, father, wife and children; and pick up your cross, dying to yourself daily, and follow Him.
This seems to really be what being a disciple of Christ and living a Spirit filled life are all about. It seems so easy to get hung up on our various theologies, that it is easy to lose sight of the simplicity, and the sacrifice, required to be a true follower of Jesus. For me, I have spent way too much of my life following church instead of Christ.
From this I repent.
Peace and grace,
Randy
Saturday, June 26, 2010
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Fabulous post, Randy. Thank you for your insights and for sharing! I long to return to Haiti again, though it is a difficult place to visit. What a paradox: it's hard to know why this is so. Thanks for all you do! And I saw first-hand what a blessing you are to so many!
ReplyDeleteHey Laurie!
ReplyDeleteParadox is the perfect word for Haiti. On my initial visits here, after 3 or 4 weeks, it was time to go home. This trip, even though I miss my family, I am finding it very hard to leave. It seems the more relationships you develop, the greater the number of people depending on you, and the more work going on, the harder it is to leave.
I so appreciate your compassion for the poor and am really looking forward to working together on Haiti Hemophilia Sante!