Show Up

My mind is a huge battlefield here in Uganda. Accusations like "What difference will you really make by going?" and "What difference will these pads really make?" are landmines that threaten to take me out. While putting my makeup on this morning I had to audibly speak truth to myself, "I believe the world will change by sitting with strangers. I am not called to win or loose, I am called to fight. Go and fight. Make friends with strangers. See what God will do."

I finished putting on my makeup and went to work. I spent part of my day visiting a new friend's home in the slums. He was very surprised by my visit and I learned a lot about the area he lives in. IF people have a job, they usually make around $1 to $1.50 a day. I learned that families in this area can't afford to birth their children at the hospital and struggle just to find enough food for their families to eat. The rest of my day I spent alongside a brilliant midwife taking blood pressure for pregnant mom's in the very same slum my friend lives in. I fed, burped and cuddled a 3 month old miracle baby weighing only 3 kilograms. I told the pregnant mothers in the clinic how beautiful they were, dressed in their best for their appointment. I was astounded by a woman in her third trimester, though tired and covered in sweat, she used her own umbrella to shade me from the sun as I took her blood pressure. As I knelt there on the dirt ground being shaded by her umbrella, I thought about goodness. I thought about how a person with goodness adds value to other peoples lives. Her small gesture made me feel more valuable. 

What if this is how we change the world? Visiting strangers. Listening to people's stories. Offering a hug, a handshake, an umbrella.

Today, as you put on your mascara or straighten your tie for work, you might hear the same land mines I hear. You might catch wind of a lie about your capacity or your value or ability to influence others. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that fighting IS winning. Show up for life today. Make friends with strangers and see what God will do.