“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness.”
-Psalm 100:1-2
SHOUT FOR JOY TO THE LORD. I feel like I don’t ever choose to just rejoice the King of Kings. I never just thank Him that I was created “…on purpose, for a purpose.” as said by Ramon in our group devotional.
It’s different here. These people, who have so little, can sit and enjoy the sunlight while praising the LORD for blessing them with a new day, while I complain about my toe-nail polish chipping during the night.
Listening to some of these children compare the number of bullet scars left in their houses and how long one or both of their parents have spent time in jail really opened my eyes to how real all of this is. How frighteningly real their lives are. Day in and day out they, only children, sit listening to sirens and gunshots while I worry with petty, insignificant things that I consider to be necessities.
Food is a necessity. Shelter is a necessity. Love is a necessity. I expect these things; they are lucky to hope for these things—and still… still all of the people I’ve talked to in just one day are so happy. They are so helpful, respectful, encouraging. They love the LORD. They shout for joy to the Father. They are truly thankful. I can learn a lot this week. We need to learn a lot from these examples. It’s a necessity.
-Christy Blevins