As I
traveled to the Dominican again I was excited about what God had in store. I
know that whenever we break out of our comfort zones, God uses the opportunity
to teach us if we are willing to learn.
I spent
most of my time at the Social Work Site in El Callejon. Obstacle number one:
the language barrier. Thankfully the Lord provided patient servants of service
who willingly taught me “un chin” (a little bit) of the language each day.
Needless to say, everyone received some comic relief as I stumbled over
pronunciation. One of my frequent
mistakes was saying “the floor” instead of “heaven”. Just imagine hearing
someone say “Our God in the floor is faithful.”
Among all the sayings I learned, the first and most useful was the
phrase yo quiero, which translates into I
want.
After
having time to reflect on the trip, my summer, my year, and the future, I
realized that my mindset and the cry of my heart seems to be yo quiero. I want this and that. I want a bright future,
security, a new phone, cute clothes, and perfect relationships. I want things
to work out perfectly in my timing, just the way I planned it to. I want.
My
consumption mindset leaves little room for God’s giving spirit to fill me. When
I am so focused on the things around me instead of the things above me, I am
living for the wrong purpose and I am running the race towards a prize that
will disintegrate.
You can
seem to have your life together; go on mission’s trips, attend church every
week, pray before meals, and read a chapter of your bible each night…but if our
hearts have not been surrendered to Christ then our weaknesses will easily be
attacked by Satan. If we don’t accept God’s incredible and undeserved gift of
Jesus, then we are wandering lost.
I get
frustrated with myself when I think about how much time I spend doing things
that please myself instead of furthering the Kingdom. We are called to store up our treasures in
Heaven. Instead of doing an occasional good deed, I pray that my lifestyle is
one that belittles the importance of selfish and sinful desires. I pray that I
truly run the race marked out for us with my all. God deserves my adoration,
repentance, thoughts, and heart. Let’s be honest, He deserves everything.
Day
after day, the ways of this world present themselves in such an appealing
light. I don’t want to conform. Therefore I am planning on surrendering myself
daily to Him. Instead of saying yo quiero, I will be asking the Lord what He
wants.
I want
to be where you are. I want to follow you, Lord... Your plans are far better
than mine.
