I have this little daily calendar thingy, sitting on its plastic holder/easel, next to the sink. It has a verse on each page. There are many mornings when I read the verse and close my eyes–quite briefly so I don’t fall back asleep!–and revel in the assurance and comfort that God is giving me. Those are the good mornings.
Every day, though, I do this little inner bracing, before I read the verse, because I’m going to receive either divine comfort or a Scripture stabbing, and I really don’t want the stabbing.
This particular morning, I leaned over to read and saw:
Let all that you do be done in love.
(1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV)
The blade was quick and powerful, parried with a sleight of hand that was breathtaking. “Ugh,” I thought, “This is a grim missionary moment.” But, I’ve learned to take the hit and face it, because otherwise I’ll just keep being stabbed by the Word until I let God deal with the issue. So, I faced the incident that had occurred the day before…
Driving here is just horrendous. When Mark and I got our Brazilian driver’s licenses, the Motor Vehicle instructor asked me what I thought of the five quite rigorous written tests we had to take. I told her how I was amazed that all the people on the road had gone through such a demanding process. She laughed and answered that some 70% of drivers on the road do not have their license.
So, on this particular day, I left the Kilometer 6 favela, where I had brought medicine and ointment to a little girl and others, going door to door with hugs and much love and the Word. Then, I hit the road, like Sybil, with a personality change that happens every time I drive here. I stew in my aggravation and live off of my imaginary lectures to all the nearby drivers, getting more annoyed, and more unloving by the second. Apparently, I have compartmentalized this missionary life into, on and off duty moments.
Thus the verse.
I took the little 2″x3″ paper verse and folded the daisy out of sight. Then I put that verse right on my rear view mirror, all symbolism duly noted. If I don’t allow God’s love to commandeer me in the car, my days on the streets and in the favelas become cheapened somehow.
I’m a long way off from handling the chaotic driving here with love, but I want to do all things with love. I really do. Pray for this!
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating…exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 AMP)
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