A Million Questions

July 13, 2010

Yesterday was my first day back at La Casa de Mi Padre after over a week of being out of the country. One of the tias was sick so I ended up covering for her during the day. After dinner with her girls, I felt that I had been out of the country for much longer because of all of the questions they bombarded me with. The dinner conversation ranged from questions about my family to questions about angels and demons. My favorite question from the one little girl Claudia was, "Do you and Lara (my housemate and an intern here for the summer) pray together every night before bed?" The custom in each of the rooms is to have devotions and pray together before bedtime. I explained that Lara and I go to bed at different times and so no we do not pray together. Her question got me thinking though about the many places I have lived and how I could be more intentional with my housemates about seeking God's face together.

During lunch today, I had some good conversation with one of the older girls who is on vacation right now. As we talked she asked about my studies in psychology and then she made a comment about how she always says things too bluntly. I shared the verse about speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and how it is important to be able to share the truth with someone and even confront at times, but it has to be done in love and with prayer. In some ways the girl and I are at the opposite extremes. Too often I err on the side of love or compassion and am afraid to speak the truth. She, on the other hand, speaks the truth but without the love. I tried to encourage her because boldness such as she has can be a great strength and God needs people who are unafraid to speak up. But our strengths are often our greatest weaknesses too and so I know that both she and I need to work to submit what comes most naturally to God and allow Him to shine through us because of a willingness to follow His call and not just what is easiest. I am praying for some more opportunities to encourage this young lady and to share with her more in the next few days.