Rejoice in the Lord Always

Hearing Jimmy Gilliam give a presentation about his trip to India brings back memories of long flights in crowded cabins, dilapidated roads with crazed drivers, and fervor for the Lord’s kingdom that is rarely seen in the United States. Sure, Americans get excited about church, but we do not depend on church. We do not depend on God and His people simply to survive. Our jobs typically pay the bills, our cars get us where we need to be, and we have food for dinner each night. The jobs may pay less than $100,000 each year, the cars may be unable to park themselves, and the meals may be hamburger steak instead of prime rib, however, we are easily fooled into believing that we are self-sufficient. Very few people in the developing world are under this illusion.
My first trip into Eastleigh, an area of Kenya’s capital city, was terrifying. The dirt roads had massive potholes, puddles, and crowds of people making our commute a very drawn out process and a quick getaway impossible. Being able to leave in a hurry would not have been a big deal if every other person on the street did not look like Osama Bin Laden and glare into our large bus which was full of Americans. Some streets were obstructed by piles of garbage which had grown taller than the tin shacks people called their homes. In Eastleigh, there was no garbage pickup, or sewage service for that matter. So, in addition to trash, human excrement contaminated the puddles where people were walking. I was beginning to understand what is meant by the phrase “God forsaken.”
After arriving and the church/school compound, we were escorted inside the main auditorium where there were two giant, hand woven tapestries, one with the words “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Rejoice? What did these people have to rejoice about? Compared to us, they had nothing! But then I realized what was really going on: they thought they had everything. They had found salvation in Jesus Christ and therefore considered themselves to be among the luckiest people in the world. They did not love Jesus despite their poverty; they loved Jesus partially because of their poverty. When a person has virtually no worldly possessions, the riches that come through a relationship with Jesus are much more meaningful. Much like the rich young ruler of Luke 18, most Americans are able to live comfortable lives without a relationship with their creator; we simply can get by without God. That’s why Jesus made the very key observation after the rich man had left, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). May we always remember that despite our wealth, lifestyle, and possessions, we are still spiritually poor being in need of salvation, and just like people in the third world, we have but one hope.