dependence

To be completely honest, I'm really worn out, discouraged about how my test went today, dehydrated and hurting from my sunburn, four days behind in my cultural diary, looking at two more tests, a presentation, and a research paper due in the next six days, and ready to go home.

But I actually have absolutely no reason to be any of those things. I mean, I guess I do - but I don't have any reason to complain about them. In place of doing my homework, I was just sitting here contemplating the number of people I know or know of who need so many prayers right now - people in Mexico, people in the United States, people who are sick, people who are hurting, people who need Jesus, people who know Jesus, people who are serving Jesus in other countries - the needs are almost overwhelming. So how can I sit here and feel discouraged when I actually have more things to be thankful for than I can even count?

For example, I was in Barra Vieja for the weekend and I know my last post attests to what an encouragement that was. And today I spent the evening with Nataly (a Mexican girl I met) and her family. My pictures won't upload so I won't post about it tonight, but it is definitely a story worth telling. And, some Bibles arrived in the mail for me today! I am one of the two coordinators for the ISU Young Group's Free Bible Now ministry and a couple weeks ago I asked my co-coordiantor to ship a few down here because there have been so many people who have shown an interest in the Gospel. I had heard that mail is extremely unreliable and that they might not ever come, but I thought it couldn't hurt - and what better thing to lose in the mail than Bibles - they can be a blessing to whoever receives them. Anyway, he shipped them via the trusty U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday and they arrived today! I'm looking forward to giving them to a couple people who don't have a Bible of their own and then seeing who else God will show us who needs a copy.

"Just to know, just to know that You love me
Gives me hope to carry on
What can this world do to me?
Just to know, just to know that You're with me
On all these roads I traveled on
When all I have is gone
I confess my dependence on You
Dependence on You..."

(Dependence, Jamie Slocum)

It occurs to me just now that 'dependence' is the opposite of 'independence' which I spoke quite highly of less than a week and a half ago in my shout-out for the 4th of July. Indeed, independence is a lot of times something I look at favorably, but in my relationship with God that does not apply - or at least it shouldn't. I ask for your prayers that I can remain dependent on God's strength and guidance in the last week or so of this journey and that His name will be lifted up.