I made friends with some of the young people at the Torre Fuerte church, they asked me if I wanted to accompany them to the field. I agreed having no idea what they were talking about. They picked me up on Saturday morning at 6:40am. (I should have known 6:00am meant 6:40 but I wasn't thinking so I waited a loooong time wondering if they were actually going to come) Then the 5 of us (on 3 bikes) (the two girls sat on the bar of the bikes while the boys peddled and I got my own bike) rode through the country for an hour or so. I was the only gringo girl, let alone blonde, that I saw the entire time. I am not used to that - Granada is a city filled with gringos. Anyways, after peddling forever through gravel roads with huge puddles, mud, and potholes, we arrived at the field. I still had no idea what I was doing but I made it alive and knew that I was safe with my new Nica friends. Then we walked through the field for a long time until we came across Pastor - who was already working in the field. Then I had to figure out what they were saying in Spanish and finally figured out we were going to weed the yuca plants that they had recently planted. Point of the story, I went on a long bike ride into the Nicaraguan country not knowing what I was doing but soon realized I was helping them work the field. And I got an awesome farmer's tan.
Ok, so a typical white American-gringo girl like me would most likely never be seen doing field labor in Nicaragua with a bunch of native Nicas (by herself). And a typical girl like me would most likely not be on her hands and knees in the mud pulling weeds around yuca plants. But here's the thing: if this is how many people in the world make a living and this is normal for a large percentage of the world, WHO AM I to think that I am above this kind of work? When I told the Lord that I would serve in whatever capacity - that I am willing and ready to do what He asks... do I really mean that? Who am I to think that God has only called me to do clean, non-physical-labor work? Am I that arrogant to think that because I'm white, I'm American, I'm a female, I am superior and God has blessed me so that I don't have to do this kind of work??? God blessed me with a destiny, a citizenship and a responsibility... He didn't bless me with "blessings" of material. I asked the Lord to humble me, and He is faithful in answering just that :)
He gives us "discipline us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" Hebrews 12:10-11
"Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet"
As hard as circumstances may be at times...the Lord disciplines us for our good. This is not the punishment kind of discipline, this is the spiritual discipline... in order that the Lord may yield the peaceful fruit of rightouesness through us, his trained servants.
"Look I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (John 4:35)
And how are these fields to be harvested? Bending down on our hands and knees before the Lord, one plant at a time Looking ahead and not behind. "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62)
And through our discipline, we as called disciples learn how to disciple the nations:
"When he saws the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest'" (Luke 10:2)
We are the laborers and the only way to produce a harvest of righteousness is to be on our hands and knees before the Lord (in my case, in the mud weeding Yuca plants) - laboring in the field.
It's not always easy. I'm learning that.
But oh how rewarding... more to come.
I know this post is all over the place, but my so is my mind. Hopefully something of this makes sense.
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