Restored.

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me"

This phrase has consistently made its way to my pen and into my mind over the past few years. The echos of the cynicism I contracted during my college years continue to reverberate from time to time, inhibiting the joy that comes from the knowledge of the power of salvation. The term "salvation" feels loaded to me at times. It reminds me small tracks handed out by religious fanatics and syrupy sweet evangalists reporting the number to souls they've saved.

I'm not excited about this mindset that I have, this propensity to turn cynical, but praise the Maker, this old prayer was answered while in South Africa.

I almost didn't go because we were just doing day camps this year. Play some games. Sing a few songs. Here's the gospel and a bag of chips. See ya later. Wham, bam. In and out of there in a few hours. This is the exact approach that I had grown disenchanted with-you need to earn the right to be heard! You need to have a relationship with someone before they will listen to anything about this Jesus you are so passionate about. Thankfully, God had other plans. On a run one morning whilst I was arguing with myself about whether or not I should go, God cut in and said, "What? You think I'm not powerful enough to change someone's life in an instant? Do you think that you have some magical relational power that needs to do it's work before the Holy Spirit can move in?"

Okay. Well, it didn't go exactly like that, but that's what I ended up hearing.

After that seed was planted, I decided to put the idea on my prayer card: that I would understand the power of Christ to change a child's life in an instant. And glory hallelu, I think people were praying!

We heard a lot of really hard stories. There are stories like that all over the world. But when you hear about neglect and abuse and hardship so consistently, it's difficult to take it. The beautiful part is that under circumstances were I would have most likely crumbled, there stood a bright fire. A consuming joy. A life being poured out for others. A life changed. Because of Jesus. And many of their stories told of a sudden meeting with Him, through day programs like the ones we were participating in. The restoration started here. Being reminded of the power of Christ to take something that seems hopeless and inject it with hope. With joy!

The hopelessness is the second thing that restored the joy of salvation in my heart. We witnessed so much poverty. So much injustice. Miles and miles of shacks. Hundreds of hungry, neglected children. Thousands afflicted with HIV/AIDS. And this is one area in the world. It pains me to know that this is going on all over the world. What do you do with that? It's such an immense problem, with no obvious solution. Even if we supply communities with clean water, shoes, and as many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as they could eat, that's not going to change the mindset that it's okay to rape women and children.

The only thing that can bring about that kind of change is a metamorphosis of the soul. The dying of old and the birth of a new way of living. Being washed in the blood of the lamb. Being SAVED.

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me"