Rosa and I stood at the entry way of a home in Bolivia. I placed a brand
new Bible in her hands and hugged her tight. I patted her over her thick
black braids that cascaded down her back. "I feel different," Rosa
said, "I feel free." Calmness and reassurance rang in her voice. The
previous day, I had spoken to her and she invited Christ as her personal
Savior.
Her destiny had changed. But her daily routine had not.
She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. in the frigid cold of the Andes Mountains
where she lives inside four walls made of mud. No heat. No indoor
plumbing. No electricity. She lifts her sleepy 2-year-old and wraps her
in a square thick cloth woven with bright red, orange, brown and green
thread. With one swoop she places her baby on her back. She ties her
securely. Mother and baby head down the dark, narrow path surrounding
the mountain toward the city of La Paz. A long walk takes her to the bus
stop where a line already formed with folks who also need to head to the
city. She takes the bus to another station where she boards another one
to her final destination. Two hours later, she reaches place of
employment as a housemaid.
"He came late last night," she told
me. "He was drunk and he beat me again in front of our little girl."
But Rosa's scenario, similar to so many, now has a different twist.
"But I will leave that situation," she said with resolve. "I know God
will help me. I know He will protect me. I'm different now and I want
not just a partner, but a husband who loves God. My little girl will
have a better life."
Once I got back to the U.S., real poverty
sparked a sense of pity in me. In comparison, so many of us live in
material opulence yet trudge through the poverty of darkness. Rosa's
socio-economic situation might not change, but her heart changed. Her
outlook was transformed. And her view became clear. Unlike many who live
surrounded by material richness, she has the wealth of spiritual
freedom. She has the new identity as a child of God. A new
person--redeemed, saved and protected.
And while living in the
mountain of subtle pride and in the hut of distorted values, this
message spoke to me. Does it to you? "Tell those who are rich in this
world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon
be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives
us all we need for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17).
Father, I
confess that pride, thinking I'm better than those like Rosa, tainted my
soul. I admit that the foolish trust in my bank account gave a distorted
sense of security. When the money is gone and material stuff has rotted,
you are the only one who will stand, loving, faithful, strong and more
than able to provide for all my needs. Thank you for the new freedom of
confidence you gave me. In Jesus' name, amen.
Where have you
placed your trust lately?
Without material possessions, would you
still feel rich, satisfied and confident?
What is the balance in
the bank account of your soul?
Janet Eckles Blindness
tried to darken Janet's life. And tragedy tried to defeat her through the murder
of her youngest son followed by the acquittal of the man responsible. But
instead of defeat, Janet found peace. And God's grace brought sweet triumph. So
Janet gathered insights, claimed God's promises, and found practical steps to
bring back joy. She put them all together for you in her latest book, Simply
Salsa: Dancing Without Fear at God's Fiesta.
