Although I'm waaaay behind on my blogging, I'll have to be brief this morning. We start our last week of camp today, the Ugandan boys are leaving for the airport, we have a new maintenance man starting (welcome Eric Hindman to the Skipstone family), construction on the football field is in full swing, the inboxes and voice mailboxes are overflowing... you get the picture!
I didn't sleep very well last night. Like everyone else around here, I'm emotional about the end of our four month journey with the Ugandan Thunder boys. These eight boys have really taken our hearts captive. What we anticipated would be an incredible ministry opportunity for us to serve them has instead become a time of immeasurable growth for us as we have watch them live their faith out loud.
For me personally, I can only recall one other season of my life when I found myself so consciously aware of some of my misconceptions about God. These were brought to light by watching the childlike faith of eight boys who have no life compared to us from a material perspective, yet enjoy life so abundantly from a spiritual perspective. I can't help but believe that there is an underlying and significant correlation between their suffering and simple existence and the contentment, thankfulness of heart, and unbridled joy that defines the character of these young men.
One of the things that we've all struggled with is knowing that today, these boys are going back to their real world. The excess and comfort that they have enjoyed for the last four months will come to an abrupt halt in 24 hours, and they will once again be surrounded with suffering and pain that we can't even really imagine. It doesn't seem fair or right. Our hearts are screaming "let them stay", but as hard as it is for us to understand, they are ready to go "home".
As I thought about this through my sleepless night, I was reminded of a statement that one of my favorite authors made in a recent devotion that I was reading about struggles and suffering. Max Lucado wrote "What about your struggles? Is there any chance, any possibility, that you have been selected to struggle for God’s glory? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”? - (Philippians 1:29)
What an amazing thought.... that some of us may have the privilege of not only walking with Jesus, but also suffering for His sake? Man I want to get to a place in my walk that I can see struggles and suffering as a privilege..... maybe it starts by realizing that most of my struggles and suffering aren't struggles and suffering at all. They are just whining and feeling sorry for myself about some possession that I don't have, some luxury that I can't afford, or something "dear to me" that I lost. I go around saying "I'm hungry" when I get busy and miss lunch by a few hours, yet I have no idea what hunger really feels like. I say that "I'm having a bad day" when some circumstance shakes me from my comfort zone, while those without a real comfort zone can't even distinguish the "good days" from the bad ones.
Max Lucado wrapped up this thought in a beautiful way when he said "Your faith in the face of suffering cranks up the volume of God’s song.” I don't know a lot, but I know that the faith of eight boys in the midst of great struggles and suffering has made God's song loud in my heart. The country of Uganda will be hearing that song soon in a way that could "rock their world"!
Thank you boys for being "special vessels" that God used in my life in very special way..... now go home and change your world!
Whatever It Takes,
Chip
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