Demonstrating El Roi

Demonstrating El Roi

Being able to spend time and disciple girls in the Bordos community and local children’s homes is such a blessing. Getting to build relationships with my girls on a personal level while teaching them God’s truth is something I love to do and is so rewarding. But I would be lying if I said it was all smiles and sunshine. We definitely have our fair share of laughter and giggles, but there are other days when it is just the opposite.

Days full of doubt, fear, sadness, and worry.

Days when everything seems hopeless, when one of my girls’ family doesn’t have food to eat, when they are experiencing family problems, or when things happening in their young lives just don’t seem fair.

Days when they believe the lie that they aren’t worth anything, that they have been forgotten, that God isn’t real, that God doesn’t love them and they have to search for that love in other places.

On those days, it is hard. Even for me, it is difficult to look into the face of one of my girls, whose eyes are full of hopelessness, and not feel that very same way. I know the truth.  God is real, God is good, and He loves each one of us immeasurably. But when things aren’t going well, when nothing seems to go right, it is easy to look around you and see simply what they see: sadness, disappointment, doubt, fear, darkness. It can appear like the darkness is winning because it’s all around.  I can tell them over and over again, but when you look into eyes that have seemed to have lost hope, simply saying “God is good” isn’t enough. We have to show them. We have the opportunity to be an active, encouraging presence in the lives of those around us. We need to demostrate God’s goodness to them, the mercy He has shown them, of the love and provision He has brought to their lives.

I was recently reading through John and there are a couple of instances where it says that Jesus’ disciples remembered [what He had done/had said] and believed (John 2:22, 12:16). These situations happened when Jesus had spoken of a promise and then later fulfilled it. At the time, the disciples maybe didn’t completely believe or weren’t exactly sure what He was talking about but later they remembered and believed.

These verses have really spoke to me when I am at a loss for how to encourage my girls when everything around us seemed hopeless. I couldn’t change their situation and they necessarily couldn’t either, but I can remind them of the good things God had already done their lives as well as the promises He has made to us.

In the face of hopelessness, we can the truth of John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

In the face of abandonment and loneliness, we can simply be present in their lives.

In the face of doubt, we can remind them of the truths and promises God gives us.

In all, we can pray for and with them, demonstrating faith in El Roi “The God who Sees Me.”

And that is the beauty of discipleship. Being present and active in the lives of the people God has placed around us, through the joy and exciting celebrations and through the sorrow, ugly and hopeless moments. Constantly reminding each other of the promises of our faithful God.

God Bless, Jami

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