Walk Softly and Carry a . . .

Last night, while Chris was praying for me, he saw something interesting.  He could see me holding some kind of measuring stick.  But God had a different one.  I have been working through my own goals and expectations of and for myself along with others' expectations of me.  They have changed since I landed here on Indian soil.  The amount of effort that used to be enough to get my family through the day is not cutting it.  The things I used to pride myself in -- healthy, home-cooked meals, doing my own chores, going on trips outside with my kids -- are much more difficult.  God showed me through that prayer that the things I am concentrating on are not what matters to Him.  I do not have to do the same things that I used to do.  I do not have to do the same things as my neighbors.  I do not have to do the same things as other expat workers here.  I have to do just what God asks me to do!  My stick was just getting bigger and bigger!  Not only did I measure myself against everything I did before, I must meet every cultural challenge with grace, I must answer every comment or question from my neighbors with love, I must . . . well, you get the idea.  Praise be to God!  His stick looks different than mine.  As we prayed, I saw His stick change.  Do you know what it looked like?  The cross!  God doesn't measure me by what I do.  He measures me by what my Savior did for me.

Right now in our community, our neighbors are celebrating a holy month of prayer and fasting.  It's pretty rigorous.  They wake up at 3 AM to make breakfast.  They eat by 4 so they can have their morning prayer at 4:30.  After that, they have no food or drink -- not even water -- until the evening prayer at 7:30 PM.  Then, they get up and do it all over again.  For 30 days.  Straight.  When I ask why they do this, I've gotten several answers:

• It is compulsory to our faith.  We have to.
• It helps us remember the poor.
• Praying and fasting during this month forgives more of our shame, our sins.
• We hear better from God.

As Chris and I were praying, I was reminded of my neighbors.  Some of them really do see this month as an opportunity to be grateful to God, get closer to Him and be generous to others.  How many of us can say we've done something so intentional and difficult for the same reasons?  My faith is spurred on by the faith of these friends.  There are others, though, who do it out of fear.  Fear that God will not accept them if they don't do it.  Fear that at the end of their lives, their sins will outweigh the good they've done.  Fear that they are not living up to the measuring stick.  I pray that, like myself, these friends will see God holding up a different measuring stick.  A freeing one.  A grace-filled one.

So, this month, I seek to tread softly.  I want to pray for my friends, encourage them, and be generous and grace-filled.  I also want to carry with me the cross.  To remind myself and others that God measures me differently than the world does -- or even than I do myself.

Cute kids!  During our Delhi trip last month.