Jay and I are currently living in a Mexican town called Zirahuen, and this past Saturday we took a day trip to the nearby city of Morelia.  While we were sitting on a park bench admiring the beautiful weather and children blowing bubbles, a man missing an arm and a leg wheeled himself over to us and asked us if we wanted to buy some gum.  We brushed him off with a “‘no gracias, lo siento,” and watched him continue on his way.

After a few minutes Jay said, “you know, this man is mentally handicapped, has lost two limbs, and is trying to sell gum in order to survive in a country where people like him can easily fall through the cracks.  He could just resort to begging on a street corner like so many others, but has taken the initiative to wheel himself around to offer something of value to people who reject him time and time again.”  I watched Jay call the man back over and buy two packs of gum, and during the transaction Jay asked for the man’s name.  The man, Luis, was shocked that a gringo would care enough to ask for his name and smiled from ear to ear.  I was grateful for Jay’s willingness to see past the surface and show dignity to this man.

Two hours later we were sitting in a trolley, taking a historical tour of the city. We stopped and all got out at a church that looked like this:

Not seeing anything special about this church compared to the others I had seen that day, I was tempted to not go in at all.  In comparison to the others, it was quite boring in appearance.  To my delight however, all my preconceptions were shattered when I walked through the doors and saw this:

As we left the church Jay and I commented that we never would have known, based on the outward appearance of the church, that so much beauty was held inside.  I realized in that moment that the words I had read in the Bible earlier that morning were being demonstrated before my very eyes.

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “here’s a good seat for you” but say to the poor man, “sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  (James 2)

Ladies, how often do we show favouritism based on appearance? How often do we give special attention to people who are beautiful, or popular, or smart?  God’s word truly came alive to me that day in Morelia, and I know that this is an area I must work on.  Let’s look beyond the outward appearance this week and truly love people as Jesus would love them.

Michelle

Grade 9 math class.  The subject was never my strong suit, and I was slightly nervous as I sat down next to my friends on the first day while our teacher introduced himself to us.  It didn’t take long until we discovered our teacher to be a short-tempered man who often seemed aloof as he gazed out the window during our individual work time.

One day I whispered to my friend to borrow and eraser, and our teacher thought I was trying to cheat.  He exploded.  The phrase that almost brought tears to my eyes was, “you’ll never amount to anything in this class or in this school!”  Out of spite, I was determined to prove him wrong.  I worked harder in his class than any other math class in my school history, and received the highest mark in the class that year.  “So there,” I thought.

The following semester our math teacher did not return to school.  I found out his son had died in a car accident.  Jesus worked on my heart of stone towards this man, and I decided to hunt down his address and send him a card.  The following semester he was back at school, and I remember our first interaction like it was yesterday.  He came up to me in the hall, and with tears in his eyes he placed his hand on my shoulder and simply said, “thank you Michelle.”  Every bit of bitterness I still had towards him vanished in that moment.  Later I found out that he had lost another son before I had attended his class.  Oh how I had misunderstood this man.  When I graduated from high school, I stayed in touch through letters.  Our letters often discussed faith, pain, and God, and I started to see that I was perhaps the only Christ-follower he knew as a friend.

Two years ago I had the privilege of having him and his wife in attendance at my wedding.  A man I hated in grade 9 had made it on our guest list of loved ones 7 years later.

I have often wondered what would have happened if I didn’t follow God’s leading in sending that card.  As Christ-followers we are to be set apart.  We should be experts at extending grace to difficult people.  Sometimes I think I was way better at this in high school, and need Jesus desperately to keep my heart compassionate and gracious on a daily basis.  If we don’t love difficult people, who will?

Is there is a difficult person in your life right now?  How are you extending Jesus’ grace to them?

Michelle

Right now I am in Caye Caulker, a small island off the coast of Belize.  Yesterday was the picture perfect beach day, and Jay sat in the shade reading a book while I splashed around in the ocean and feel asleep in the sun.  There really is nothing better than drifting off to sleep with the warmth of the sun all around you!

Turns out the warmth I felt earlier morphed into a real heatwave of pain as I discovered a nasty sunburn on my back at night.  I could hear the words of my mom, “you should have been more careful with the sunscreen!” echoing in my head, and the next day I was definitely seeking more shade.

Sin is like a sunburn isn’t it? Whether it’s gossip, lust, greed, pride, jealousy, or any of the other issues we struggle with as human beings, it doesn’t feel all that bad when we are “lying in the sun surrounded by it” so to speak.  In the moment it often feels quite satisfying actually.  But the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death.  Death of relationships, death of joy, death of community, death of desire…or even physical death.

As summer approaches and we start enjoying the warmth of the sun, let us be conscious not only about our skin, but the health of our mind, heart, and spirit.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Do you have a fear of bees? I do!

They are the uninvited quests on a picnic or a patio lunch. Many people have a fear of bees and how at anytime they can land on you and sting you. I would be ok with never seeing one again, but then again honey in my tea is so yummy!

I was told and others I have talked to have said that since they were young they have always remembered adults saying avoid them bees at all costs - “when you see one flail your arms and run around like you have gone mad!” It is inevitable that when a bee is near someone they will be caught flailing around possibly screaming or even taking off in a fast sprint to get far far away from this little tiny pest.

Sometimes the fear creeps up when you see the shadow of the bee hovering around you or even that terrifying sound buzzing by your ear. You try to remain calm and very still, but then it gets closer the sound gets louder and your arms start to move around a little more trying to intimidate the little guy. Sometimes the bee does not take a hint and it continues to fly around you maybe even lands on you in a spot you can’t see which makes you even more nervous, and then you feel a tiny bead of perspiration on your forehead. You start to panic as the bee persists, the bee settles down on your arm and then fear fills your body of the thought of getting stung!!

Do you get where I am going with this thought? That lurking shadow that hides in places you can’t see with your eyes, the terrifying feeling you get knowing something is ‘buzzing’ around you. That panic happens when you have your eyes fixed on something else, you let that shadow settle in and fill you with terror, anxiety, frustration, and it also clouds your judgment.

Satan is always lurking he is always in the shadows waiting and prowling wanting to settle in and try to get you to fix your eyes on something else other than Christ.

That is why we always need to be suited up we cannot let Satan in not even for just one moment – Don’t give Satan the power to sting you!!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6:10-18

Love. Kayla