August?
>> 8.03.2008
As a missionary- I probably shouldn't admit this, but I discovered a new book in the bible yesterday. In complete honesty, I had never even heard of Habakkuk until I happened upon it yesterday. It was reassuring to read though, because while it didn't give answers, it phrased perfectly the question I am trying to ask...
How long, O Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
To be honest, I didn't find much of an answer in God's answers in Habakkuk, but as always, Luke 4:16 comes to mind...
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
I'm still in the formation phase of this thought, so I'll leave you to reflect on these two scriptures for a while until I have my thoughts formulated enough to write them here.
Justice is a long battle, and I'm in it till then end. I'm just still figuring out where to start fighting.
In case you were wondering, my weekend at the beach was wonderful. It was a perfect day on Friday, the beach was beautiful, I found a friendly dog, the ocean was great for swimming... it was a very serene weekend, exactly what I needed.
Lastly- is it really August already? Somebody pinch me!
3 comments:
I know, right? I found Habakkuk 3 years ago and I was like '...eh?' But what a discovery, and what a strong and inspirational one at that. The pictures are beautiful, as always. Thank you taking the time to post them.
-Vanessa
2 Corinthians 12:8 and 10
I finished the audio book version of A long Way Gone today. Quite a story, beyond comprehension to any American.
I will mail it to you to distribute it as you see fit after your return to the mudderland.
If you have not seen the movie "War Tribes", it would be well worth your time to check out. It is very rough to watch the interviews with the children at the beginning, but if you can hang through it, the pay off is amazing, and the roaming canid shots in the village are very revealing of how little these people live with on.
This program may give you a fresh perspective about how to build direct bridges to people with out all the NGO and Governmental protocal that weakens these connections.
Take care it won't be long before you trade in Stanley Clarke's "I'm Home Afrika" for Neil Diamond's "coming to America".
WaHOOOOO for your Mom. one source of worry can be put to bed.
From an old African proverb:
The sun and the wind were having a season long argument about who was the most powerful.
The wind finally suggested a contest to decide this.
Below was a man pulling a coat tightly to his body to fend off the cold. "Let's see who can get the coat off that man," suggested the wind. And the sun agreed.
The wind blew powerfully and relentlessly on the man and rolled him acoss the ground with his might. But the more he blew, the man only pulled the coat tighter around him.
The sun, sensing the wind's frustration, asked if he might have a turn.
An angry wind obliged him. The sun shone down on the man and warmed him from the bitter cold, made him comfortable, and finally as he continued to gently increase the heat, the man took his coat off.
In your last weeks this first mission, be the sun in leading others to a new comfort zone. Fighting and engaging in power struggles are often not the path to affect change.
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