Musing

I've been reading a wonderful book by Noel Piper entitled Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God. It has been giving me much food for thought over the past couple of days!

Tonight, I was reading about a doctor missionary to Africa named Helen Roseveare. This incident, recorded in her own words, has really left an impression on me:

"My tears overflowed in the infinite sense of joy that filled my heart. They surged around us, shaking our hands a hundred times, chatting and laughing...and slowly I slipped to the back of the veranda, leaning against the wall, emotionally overwhelmed...

Suddenly, quietly, there was dear Tamoma...her gentle eyes looking deeply into mine...'Ninakupenda,' she said- 'I love you'- and hugged me!...She'd never met me before...But she loved me!...

From that moment, Tamoma and [her paster husband] Ndugu took me into their hearts...as their own child...It was my first introduction to a Christian family who obeyed literally Christ's command to His disciples: 'Love one another,' that thereby 'all men will know that you are My disciples' (John 13:35)

That a senior woman of different culture and a different language...was willing to offer me Christ's love without first 'getting to know' me, to evaluate whether I was worth loving or not, was a quite extraordinary experience. Nothing else in my first month honestly caused me more culture shock, but this one act- a warmhearted hug...a gentle comment: 'I love you'- this caused me a lot of personal heart searching.

Would I have loved Tamoma with the same unquestioning warmth if our situations had been reversed? Was it merely a matter of the proverbial British reserve...or was it really something much more fundamental, a lack of holy Christlikeness on my part?

'But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8).

Christ loved me enough to die for me while I was yet His enemy. If God had waited for me to learn to love Him before He died, I would never have been saved. I knew that with my head, but when I met someone who behaved in such a completely Christlike way, I was amazed."

This has caused me much heart searching myself. Does God's love shine through me? I am not my own. Do I live my life in the light of that conviction? Musing...

posted by Lydia