What am I truly rich in?

I sat on a threadbare mat stretched out hospitably on the painstakingly cleared dirt floor; one of my little girls nestled in my arms on the verge of sleep and the other by my side, listening to our friend Maria share about how she came to know God. Recently we had a medical team from the US visiting us and so we took them to one of the villages where we live.  Beaming joy radiates from Maria's eyes as she shares about the faithfulness of God.  Then her husband Lotonkol shared his story.  I'd heard their stories before but, today, something different stirred in my heart. I've been asking God to show me what it means when the Bible says the poor are blessed, that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. I've been imploring Him to show me what it means to truly long for heaven.  From my western viewpoint, I have never known true hunger.  I have never experienced material want. Indeed, I have never been in any kind of physical sense of want.  I know that this is God's grace and He is the one who ultimately provides for all of my needs. But I have also come to realize how much of my own self-sufficiency and dependency is oftentimes an idol to me AND how this can even be a hindrance to my faith. How I am often so bogged down with planning for the future and things I think I have control over. How frequently I look forward to the things financially that we are able to do or buy, that I allow trips or material things to become an idol. And, that I even find my joy in them.

I am indeed the rich man in Matthew 19:16-30 who asks Jesus what he must do to get eternal life.  And Jesus' final reply: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Then it says, "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  I am truly undone when I hear this story.  I now identify so much with this rich man.

I have come to realize since moving to Africa that unbeknownst to me before, when compared to the rest of the world I am the wealthy.  The statistics are really staggering. (One such example is that a typical American earns an income that is 10 times the income received by someone living in another part of the world. Or another....America as a nation is among the top percentage of wealthy people in all the world.)  Is this hard for you to believe?  It certainly was a shocker to me. But when truth comes to light, we must either choose to accept it or run from it in denial.  I was faced with the truth of accepting it and every day I wrestle with what it looks like to be a rich American in a predominantly poor African country. The Lord has been so patient in teaching us as a family what it looks like to be generous here.  And by His great mercy He is using our African brothers and sisters to teach us what it truly means to be RICH in KINGDOM things versus earthly things.

A few months ago when I was preparing to lead a Bible study of the Beautitudes (Matthew 5/Luke 6) to our Karamajong partners, God really challenged me to truly let Jesus' words sink into my heart and discover more of their meaning.  Especially since I have the privilege of serving among our African friends here;Í many of them believers who have such great wisdom about the Bible. I am constantly amazed at what I learn from them-especially since I have been so influenced by my own American worldview, even in my Christianity.

As I sat in our friends' village, Maria broke out into a Karamajong worship song-"You alone are God. You are the only one who helps us." All of the men, women and children gathered began clapping and joining in.  Our voices joined in melodious harmony. I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the moment.  I imagined God hearing this fragrant offering of worship being lifted up to the heavens-the praise of His people-a people group largely isolated and unknown to the rest of the world, out in the middle of the bush of Africa-and I could feel it. I could feel His kingdom come to earth. These precious people, considered poor by the majority of the world, are rich in a way that many people will never understand.  They are not bound by the physical trappings of this world.  There is such wealth in the simplicity of their lives as they are free to focus on the eternal things that truly matter-  the treasures of His kingdom, where moths and thieves and rust cannot destroy!  The richness of their faith-especially of their incredible hope and resislence of spirit is truly inspiring. 

As we moved to the next song, the lyrics were like a balm to my heart-I was challenged by the faith of my Karamajong brothers and sisters.  We sang: "I am going to the kingdom of God.  There is no starvation.  There is no fighting. There is no hurting.  There is no death." I inhaled deeply and let these words sink in.

And there it was.... a whisper gently, softly, sweetly sinking down into the very deepest recesses of my soul-if my mind is focused on HIS kingdom, then I will truly long for heaven.

And the Holy Spirit answered my prayer, He gave me a glimpse of what Luke 6 is talking about.  

"Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"

I must choose to not be like the rich man in the story.  Each day I am faced with the choice to focus on the kingdom of God or to focus on the kingdom of earth.  I must choose to not content myself with the physical ease and comforts of this world.  Instead, I will rest in Him and be obedient to go where He calls me to.

Yes, Jesus, Yes!  I hear you. Oh how I want to hold on to this moment. How I want to learn from my Karamajong brothers and sisters as they live out their faith here. Please keep teaching me what it means to seek first your Kingdom.  I know that I will never truly understand until I get to heaven, but continue to awaken a hunger in me to pursue it-to pursue YOU. I pray Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I have much to learn.  I pray my kids learn it-way down deep-all the way to their very souls.

May we learn to be truly rich in HIS kingdom.