glorious

Sure there are difficult days. There are impossible days (like last Friday). But there are also glorious days. Days that almost seem like a cheat amidst all the crazy.

Just as I grieve hard on the impossible days, I want to make it a habit and a reaction to celebrate hard on the glorious days.

Today started off filled with anxiety, confusion, and discouragement. As I slammed my feet to the floor at an hour way too early, I literally said the words to this song in my head, “I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me.” I was anticipating and expecting the very worst to happen- a repeat of last week. (And I wanted everything to have a flat tire or some excuse to get me out of facing today).

Side-by-side with our In-Country Director, I navigated the all-too-familiar hallways of this office building and that, trying to get this one paper we’ve been waiting on for 16 months now. Last week was marked by harassment and belittlement. I take a deep breath and walk into this particular office to find the same man smiling at me, saying “Hi, cousin!” Filled with joy and helpfulness, this certainly was a different man than I met just one short week ago. A few crazy processes, a couple hours of waiting, and we have THE PAPER in hand. I turn to Elina (our In-Country Director) and ask, “What just happened??” And she responds, full of faith and assurance, “It was the favor and power of God.”

Yes & Amen.

But wait there’s more.

The best part.

Friday’s are Encouragement/Devotion days at the center. Led by different women each week, everyone comes together from all classes to sing songs of praise and worship, thanking God for His Spirit, His grace, His goodness. This week, this girl right here, Mama Amy, decided to try something a bit different during the sermon time. Unsure eyes stared back at me when I started explaining. Quiet, hesitant.

But within minutes, women were declaring “Amen” and “Praise God” as each woman stood up and declared two verses over their lives, their families, their peers and our program. Verses of strength, protection, freedom, redemption. The coldness in the room from the unsure feelings turned into a glorious boldness. Confidence. Embrace. As we exhaled all of the troubles in our lives, we inhaled the Truth being spoken by every single woman in the room. We savored the words that had the power to bring life to our hearts, light to the darkest places of our souls.

I looked around the room, surrounded by some women I’ve known for over 2 years now, and some I know very little about, and just took my own inhale. A full heart. A joyful, grateful soul. A feeling of humility to get to share life with women so beautiful as these, opening their lives and their hearts to each other and finding freedom in Jesus together.

And one-by-one, women prayed over these verses of theirs written on tiny pieces of papers. Each purple paper was held by a woman, each with their own story, their own struggles, and carefully taped onto the walls of our Chikondi Community Center.

The most beautiful decorations. Walls adorned with the Truth of God, words that give life, hope, restoration, purpose. I looked around as more papers were added to the walls and just sat in that moment.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the long-term results of the day-to-day goings on- the emails, the errands, the spreadsheets, the meetings. So whenever I get a chance to see things a bit deeper, I savor every second of it. These women are coming to know Jesus as their Savior, their friend, Victory over darkness, Hope in every circumstance. Sure the sewing is great, the skills invaluable, but this is what it’s all about. Lives being restored. Women being set free from the chains of oppression. Women experiencing true joy and peace. Women meeting Jesus even in the midst of hardship, as He always reaches down to find us. Understanding true value and worth.

Let’s just say- I didn’t see this day coming. But it has brought so much life to my weary soul. And I believe that Jesus is celebrating over the victories proclaimed today.  The much bigger story being written at the Chikondi Community Center and in every corner of the world: Jesus is proclaiming freedom for the captives. He is bestowing on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. He is bringing the Good News of redemption and forgiveness of sin.

So grateful for those little purple pieces of paper, and to enjoy a glorious day full of reminders that Jesus is alive. He cares. He cares about the woman who is abused by her husband. He cares about the woman who is rejected by her family. He cares about the woman who is treated less than human by her neighbors. He cares about the woman who has been abandoned by her love. He cares about the woman whose baby was killed. He cares about the woman who turned to alcoholism to numb the pain. He cares about the woman who has threats against her life. He cares about all of us. No pain, no oppression, no injustice too far from His redemptive love and grace.