Gentle Reminders

Remember. I feel like I talk a lot about remembering on this blog. I don't mean to, but I often end up writing about how I'm reminded of this or that. When I think about it, though, it makes so much sense to me. For a long time now I've been convicted of the importance of that simple word, "remember." Remembering is the key to our faith in God. Think of how often God had to tell the Israelites to remember something He'd done for them in the past. How often they needed to be reminded that He is God and He is faithful. How often they needed a reminder because too often they forgot. We're really not so different today. The gods and idols we turn to and the distractions we get caught up with may look different, but we too are in constant need of reminding that God is the One and Only. Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will do. Too often we forget that truth. I need every reminder I can get.

Today that came in the form of some quiet time in one of the baby houses. The house mothers had a meeting and several of our long-term volunteers who would generally cover the houses are sick, so I found myself back in a house like last year. It was only for about 45 minutes, but in that time I was able to feed a bottle to a new baby girl. She is so small, so light, so fragile. She woke up from her nap crying. As soon as I held her in my arms she calmed down. She watched me with such inquisitive eyes. She wasn't afraid at all, just curious. As the other children napped I also spent some one-on-one time with one of the little boys who was very much awake. He kept pulling himself up on the side of the crib so he could see me. Eventually I took him out and we just sat together. His little hands roved over mine, investigating my white skin. He quickly made his way to my face, checking out the hair on my chin and the strange glass walls that covered my eyes. Again, he wasn't scared, just curious. As I sat on the bed with him on my lap, and as he nuzzled his head under my chin, I was, once again, reminded of why God has called me to Lesotho, to Beautiful Gate. Even though I work primarily in the office and with teams now and my time with the kids is limited, they and the house mothers are still my number one priority. They are the ones I fundraise for. Theirs are the stories I share with all of you. They are the ones I'm a mouthpiece and advocate for. They are why I'm in Africa. It's because of and through them that I'm able to give the greatest glory to God with my life. And, ultimately, that's why I'm here.

Thank you my dear children for the gentle reminders. Thank you Father for your constant faithfulness, love, and grace. My I always remember who I'm here for and what I'm here to do.