Enjoy the suffering. When I was younger, I would always get excited when I discovered something new about myself that I thought would make my future life in Uganda easier. For example, I enjoyed walking long distances. I thought it was fun to hand wash my clothes. Being busy was enjoyable to me. There were many more things that one by one made me think I was literally designed to be a missionary specifically in Uganda. I used to believe it was God proving to me just how ready I was to obey this calling He had placed on my life. But now that I’m here, I have a new explanation for it. I have learned to rejoice in the things I am not gifted in. Why? Because those very things become a vessel of sacrifice proving my dedication and love for the Lord. I hate the heat. Good, because when my skin is sticky with sweat and a sunburn is forming on my shoulders and nose, I smile in my soul and whisper, “God, because I love You.” I’m an introvert deep inside. Good, because when a random stranger starts talking to me after I thought I was finished working for the day, I smile in my soul and whisper, “God, because I love You.” I’ve always struggled with loneliness even when surrounded by people. Good, because when my loneliness rises and I’m still forced to encourage someone I’m discipling that they’re not alone, I smile in my soul and whisper, “God, because I love You.” I’m very close with my biological family. Good, because every time I have to say goodbye for what could be forever, I smile in my soul and whisper, “God, because I love You.” God could have made things easier for me by designing me differently. Maybe He could have made me an extrovert and given me a love for hot days, but He didn’t. Why? He wanted to let me prove to Him my love. So, I rejoice when I don’t understand why I have to suffer in the little things. They are opportunities, not nagging punishments or torments. The mosquitos bite, the catcalls persist, the missed meals are always there, but praise God. I’m here, suffering in different ways, because I love Him.
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