One thing that has struck me from our time in South Africa is the depth of gratitude that believers have here. Often during visits to gogo centers or women’s ministry meetings, we’ll ask if anyone has a testimony from the week that they want to share. And almost every time, one or more people have shared that they just want to give God praise for being alive to that day. They see that as the biggest, most important testimony that they can share. There is a simplicity of gratitude in their perspective on life that is so beautiful, and in my opinion, so often missed in our busy lives.
As I’ve served and spent time with believers here, so many of them are very humble and so ready to give God glory. I’ve heard several different people on different occasions say that they are “only here by the grace of God” – not because of their own power, abilities, or wisdom. They know at a deep, fundamental level how fully dependent they are on the Lord for every aspect of their lives. These interactions have served as such a potent reminder of how little is owed to us and how much we’ve been given. We deserve so little, and yet because of God’s love for us, we have been given so much. It is His love, His mercy, His compassion that sustains us through each day. We can be grateful for every little thing in life – and when we choose to so be, we get to see God’s goodness that much more in our lives.
So with that, here are a few things that made me smile and be grateful from the past week or so here in SA!
