At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children...
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:25-26, 28
Dear brothers and sisters:
It feels as though ten thousand years have passed since graduation. That first night--similar to Jocelyn--back at home, I dreamed about our class. And a few days later, without knowing fully why, I kept crying, perhaps because I didn't know how else to express the sadness and tumult I felt inside.
O ye of little faith! I hear my name in that call, but also this: that He loves and loves and loves our fragmented, unlovely souls. That He uses us, all of us, the brokenness and the anguish, the parts that we would rather not claim but which He still claims for Himself. And He is refining us daily.
Friends! I pray that God keeps our hearts open in the coming year. I pray for radical encounters with Him. I pray that we surrender to Him, even when we would rather sit back into the ordinary patterns of our lives.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
Praise God for watching over you so faithfully since graduation. I wish I could say more about what I have been learning and seeing, but I feel how hard my heart is, and I pray that God will continue to humble me in South Africa. Please keep this Zithulele community in your prayers, and for a spirit of renewal in everyone in this place!
It is my first Sabbath here today. Praise God! I love you all very much, and I am comforted by the magnificence of His love for each of you. Praying for more of Him in each of us, and less of our own desires, so that His strength and wisdom would ground us and encourage us each day--