10,000 reasons for my soul to sing.
This song was played in our first church service in the city we get to call home for the next three weeks, Vlore. It certainly made me weepy. Because truly when we all stop to think about it, there are 10,000 reasons to praise our God.
My teammate and I just sat to bask in the beauty before us yesterday. A phrase often spoken by us is that “we cannot believe this is our life!” From having the opportunity to serve the Lord in those sweet, loving villages last month with people who became our ‘Albanian family’, to now having this opportunity to serve Him in what is known as the most beautiful city in Albania.. I just still am in awe with the Lord. My team is staying in an apartment that is only a 10-minute walk to the beach! Thank You, Jesus, I continue to write on the pages of my journal coming from a girl whose happy place is the beach especially at sunset.
Back to the church service yesterday, though…Our ministry host as we entered church came to us and asked which two of us would be willing to share a little about the past few months. I gladly volunteered; I would honestly say I am not usually the most passionate person in the room, except for when it comes to the Bible and sharing the Lord’s love. I instantly knew what the Lord wanted me to share after having journaled and read the passage of Matthew 11:28 that very morning before service.
I would love to share with you too.
The past 9 months have been an incredible journey with the Lord. I am so grateful for where we are in this beautiful city of Vlore. However, most days my soul wishes to go back to the mundane or simpler times. Such as, on that mountain in Honduras or the villages where the kiddos ran rampant; it was messy and rainy season in Honduras, but it was a much simpler time. Not as many voices, not as many distractions, a lot of dirt, but more stillness.
I have lived in a load of different places this year; reminiscing back on all of them, the one thing that stayed consistent was my peace through and through. Maybe not initially, but after sitting with the Lord and refocusing my eyes on Him. The truth of this Peace is found in Matthew 11:28. Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Rest translated here from the original, Hebrew word is a peace and calm of the soul because we are anticipating our Lord.
I wrote this prayer in my journal after reading the above verse: Jesus, I desire to capture YOU in the valleys low just as much as the mountains high. I want to anticipate YOU as much on the bad days as I do on the good ones.
I have been in some breath-taking places this year; places where it is easy to praise God and to see His beauty. But, then I am brought back to the simplicity (truly my favorite places): the chickens pecking my toes, the sun rising as children run around chaotically, the scary truck rides down a mountain, the fruit plucked from trees on walks where there was no transportation, the laughter as a result of trying for 30-minutes to kill a mosquito, the meals cooked over one bright-yellow burner, the nights that turned into dance parties with neighborhood kids while the sun was setting, the mornings spent journaling on roofs.
I even think back to the things I cherished in my mundane life at home: I think back to rain dripping down my car window; I truly think this phenomenon is one of the prettiest things; I would sit in my car for hours just watching it. I think back to simple drives down I-77; the mornings I was able to sit with the Lord and talk to Him while listening to my favorite sound, the coffee-pot brewing; I think back to toast popping out of the toaster; the simple joys of having a bed to make, a washer and dryer to do laundry.
Everyday, friends, there are 10,000 reasons to sing! We wake up. We breath in the fresh air of a new day with the Lord’s countless mercies. We sometimes feel the rain; we see the sun rise and the sun set. We interact with countless souls walking the same journey as our own. We see the ground before us staying still. We reap the benefits that our hands and feet give weigh too. Most of our bodies never grow so difficult to hunger; our health has sustained us to this point. There are 10,000 reasons and more to sing to the Lord, today.
Encompassing it all is _ Sepse Perendia.
Translated from Albania to English: Because God.
John 3:16 “ Because God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son..”
I start my days with journaling to the Lord by just thanking Him. I encourage you to do the same; Let us take the heart posture daily of GRATITUDE.
Thank You, Jesus
Your Beloved, Kel
