•Tuesday, December 07, 2010
The old adage says that you learn something new every day. Spend a day in a third-world foreign country and you're guaranteed to quadruple your chances of doing something you've never done before.
I came to Sudan with a construction resume that accurately depicted my level of expertise: I could name a few tools in the box and had pounded a few nails. However, the combination of necessity and an excellent teacher (Julie Ward) breeds opportunity, and thus I found myself behind the Darth Vader-isque mask with a welding rod in my hands.
I came to Sudan with a construction resume that accurately depicted my level of expertise: I could name a few tools in the box and had pounded a few nails. However, the combination of necessity and an excellent teacher (Julie Ward) breeds opportunity, and thus I found myself behind the Darth Vader-isque mask with a welding rod in my hands.Welding is one of those trades that carries remarkable intrigue, especially to someone like me that knows little of the complexities of electricity or coalescence. It requires a steady hand, a little bit of know-how (which didn't come from me, obviously), and a few safety measures here and there. Many weeks and a dozen metal shutters later, I reemerged from behind the mask with a new respect for the craft (and the people who can make it look so easy) and a few sparks of thought that were starting to mold something permanent in my head.
Back at our little hut one afternoon, I picked up my small travel Bible and a few verses caught my eye.
"...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)
That simple phrase "rooted and grounded in love" stood out to me like the bright light that I had seen behind the welding mask.
In welding terms, a "ground clamp" is attached to the work to complete the current and allow the electricity to pass through the metal being welded. Without it being properly attached to the pieces, the welder runs the risk of electrical shock.
To be "grounded in love" therefore presented a challenging mental picture, bearing a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of resemblance. I may be able to speak and communicate with brilliant eloquence, but the words mean nothing unless they are spoken in love. I may have the faith that can obliterate obstacles, but without love, there is no point. I may live in Africa (or anywhere else in the world) and give all that I have, but there is no true gain without love. It is love that gives sense and bearing to work; it prevents burnout or injury from energetic efforts without any foundation. To be completely "filled with the fullness of God," I have to know this Love and be firmly grounded in it.
What wondrous love is this?
"God saw Abraham's sacrifice and said, 'Now I know that you love me, because you did not withhold your only son from me.' (Genesis 22:12). But how much more can we look at His sacrifice on the Cross and say to God, 'Now, we know that you love us. For you did not withhold Your Son, Your only Son, whom You love, from us.' When the magnitude of what He did dawns on us, it makes it possible finally to rest our hearts in Him rather than in anything else." - Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
In the light of the gospel of this glorious sacrifice, the foundation and "grounding", everything else is "electrified" and made useful in His sight. Why are these families here in Sudan, giving up successful careers and comforts, for the sake of their Dinka neighbors? Why are there tireless efforts put into training men, building churches, raising children, running households? Why is there hope in the midst of discouragements, perseverance in trials, joy in hardships?
Behind that welding mask, watching the sparks fly, I caught a glimpse of it.
It's all because of Love.
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, that we might live through Him." - 1 John 4:9
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