"A time to laugh"

During my time here I have been invited to do fun things and have declined the offers. The two men with me would go and I would stay back. I felt like I shouldn't go because I needed to be available to the South Africans, because that's why I am here.

Gabriel's last day here, we were invited to spend the afternoon in "the bush". Edward, a man from church has a friend that has a private property where he has a few tent rentals, out in nature, so you can have a more intimate encounter with African wildlife. I wasn't going to go with them. I am grateful that Gabriel and Edward talked me into going.

Once we arrived, I sat in silence, taking in the view. It was the first time, on this trip, that the reality that I was in Africa sank in. I was in awe of God. His creation before me. How intentional He is. I felt so grateful for the gifts He has given me. Being here is a gift.

This morning I was reading Ecclesiastes 3.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God."

Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that I have struggled with focusing on the "doing good" part and leaving out "enjoying the good". We enjoyed each other's company, talked about God's goodness, had a braai (like a BBQ, really, a special “meat-fest” that can often last for hours on end), shot a pellet gun, walked around in the bush and took a drive in the safari.

I laughed more than I have in awhile. It felt good to have unstructured fun and to experience South Africa with friends.

The pastor here has been helping me dig deeper into scripture. He gave me a homework assignment this morning to ask myself 5 questions when I am reading scripture.

Who is God?

Who am I?

What does God give?

What does God ask?

What is the message I can take for myself today?

I answered these questions as I read the above scripture. These questions helped me to focus on God's character and keeping God as the focal point. I think I usually look for personal meaning and forget God, the main character. Isn't it funny that we often think we are the main character!

I love how even though God has given us a longing for and awareness of eternity, that He has not revealed very much about His eternal work. This keeps an active yearning in our hearts, to seek and desire more of Him.

The cross says in Afrikaans, "The heavens and the earth belong to the Lord."