What Have I?
I am about to embark on the second scariest thing of my life...
Six days from now, I will be ****.
Now I ask this: what does a twenty-one year old male southern California philosophy major, trained in western thought and lifestyle, raised in suburbia and economic prosperity have to offer these women? I remind you again that I am a guy!
And these women, who are they? Many likely to be older than I, raised in India which defies description, land of 300 million gods, where the urban and the rural are in flux and poverty is rampant.
And what deep experience of life and suffering these women must have! How can my words speak to their soul, what can I say that will be of any service to them? I who am young and inexperienced, they who have much in experience in life and perseverance...what have I to offer? ... Nothing.
Yet ****, the missionary we have come to serve, has Anthony and I coming to speak of God to these women. It might be easy at this point to ask "what was she thinking!?"
But it is not us. The words we say, if not built upon the words of God which have sustained millions to this day, though they be stories of the ancient world. The story of His Son, who imparted peace, love, and reconciliation with God to this woeful world. The words of this God in flesh, Jesus Christ who offered Himself up for us all, these words, O these words can do something for anyone's soul!
Yet words from two-thousand years ago, and stories more ancient still...are they dead words? How can such words be useful to these women who live in the midst of a suffering nation in lives that are full of many things I have never known or imagined... I may speak them, but who am I to speak them? What weight will I have with them? ... None.
It must be the power of God. If my words, whatever they are based on, are to do anything for these people, there must be power. Words cannot bear the sorrows, the guilt, the grief that all of us have. There must be a person behind them, a presence.
But who, among all us humans could bear even one person's needs? Are we not all crying at the top of our souls to be know and to be loved, our thirsty souls...(or we stuff this longing with the amusements of this world) ... when we face ourselves at night... O how needy we are!
That Person, that sacred presence, God who has chosen to dwell in men and women must meet them through His words. ****
I long to see God move. I want to know what it means for Him to speak through me, to give me the words to say. I don't know where any of these women are at, and am the least qualified to speak to them. But God loves them so much!!! Giving His Son over to death on a cross is a proof of that love! I must give my tongue and words to God, and bow before Him who meets hearts and loves sinners for any good to come of this...
Six days from now, I will be ****.
Now I ask this: what does a twenty-one year old male southern California philosophy major, trained in western thought and lifestyle, raised in suburbia and economic prosperity have to offer these women? I remind you again that I am a guy!
And these women, who are they? Many likely to be older than I, raised in India which defies description, land of 300 million gods, where the urban and the rural are in flux and poverty is rampant.
And what deep experience of life and suffering these women must have! How can my words speak to their soul, what can I say that will be of any service to them? I who am young and inexperienced, they who have much in experience in life and perseverance...what have I to offer? ... Nothing.
Yet ****, the missionary we have come to serve, has Anthony and I coming to speak of God to these women. It might be easy at this point to ask "what was she thinking!?"
But it is not us. The words we say, if not built upon the words of God which have sustained millions to this day, though they be stories of the ancient world. The story of His Son, who imparted peace, love, and reconciliation with God to this woeful world. The words of this God in flesh, Jesus Christ who offered Himself up for us all, these words, O these words can do something for anyone's soul!
Yet words from two-thousand years ago, and stories more ancient still...are they dead words? How can such words be useful to these women who live in the midst of a suffering nation in lives that are full of many things I have never known or imagined... I may speak them, but who am I to speak them? What weight will I have with them? ... None.
It must be the power of God. If my words, whatever they are based on, are to do anything for these people, there must be power. Words cannot bear the sorrows, the guilt, the grief that all of us have. There must be a person behind them, a presence.
But who, among all us humans could bear even one person's needs? Are we not all crying at the top of our souls to be know and to be loved, our thirsty souls...(or we stuff this longing with the amusements of this world) ... when we face ourselves at night... O how needy we are!
That Person, that sacred presence, God who has chosen to dwell in men and women must meet them through His words. ****
I long to see God move. I want to know what it means for Him to speak through me, to give me the words to say. I don't know where any of these women are at, and am the least qualified to speak to them. But God loves them so much!!! Giving His Son over to death on a cross is a proof of that love! I must give my tongue and words to God, and bow before Him who meets hearts and loves sinners for any good to come of this...
posted by Mike Burbidge | 10:09 AM
2 Comments:
Hi Mike,
Wow. You guys are there. Amazing. I heard that it's hit almost 130 degrees in Delhi recently. We are praying for you guys. On Monday night, at our church prayer meeting, I read part of the last email you sent me and we prayed for the two of you as you prepare to teach this week. As I write this I think you're probably both sleeping (hopefully!) and will begin tomorrow. I'm praying that although you both may feel like Paul, with fear and weakness and much trembling, that the power of the Spirit would be evident and would powerfully work through the words of Ephesians.
Slight momentary affliction...
Eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison...
May your minds be fixed on the latter and not the former.
Kenny
Been thinking about you guys a lot this week. Praying, too. All I've heard is that Sonny got an email from Molly saying things were going well. I can't wait to hear more details. Have you met all the sisters yet? (Well, probably not Dolly since she lives over near the coast. But the rest of them?)
Give Brajen a big hug for me.
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