Who's the king of the jungle?

MY dominion, my decisions, whatever makes ME content. We don’t really think of things in that way in our lives, but this is what is truly happening. And let’s be honest, when it’s all about ME, I think I’m happy. But is my life really better? And the world around me?

At the beginning of the month we drove down to Marseille, France – Sean, Shirley and our colleagues’ daughter, Semiye. Chretiens en Mission (Christians on Mission) or CEMété is a week of active serving and learning. Each day is filled with lessons in the morning, activities in the afternoon and a mealtime with new friends and church members in the evening. Each day offers various opportunities to serve in ‘big’ and ‘little’ ways. It is a time of hearing, and then experiencing, that living for Jesus Christ is real and everyday.

These days in the warmth of Marseille (wonderful after the overly cool weather in Belgium) challenged us to consider how good it is to be in God’s dominion instead of having him in our dominion. Jesus talks about kingdom and how the world can be turned upside down if we step into God’s control and do things as He intended. Afternoons trying to speak and understand French (easier for some than for others), get to know people, look for chances to encourage and serve – putting into practice what we heard in the morning – all helps us to experience the reality of life with Jesus Christ.

Singing was a major activity in the week. The whole group (more than 40?) formed a chorus that sang at various homes around the city - meeting and encouraging seniors, mentally handicapped residents, autistic children, residents of a home for the blind and many others. The singing itself was a challenge, but trying to converse with people afterwards was often the real challenge.

In one home I was talking to a son (perhaps 40 years old) who could speak English and translated for his mother sitting next to him (84 years old). When he heard we lived in Belgium, he said, ‘My mother is Belgian.’ We turned to her and asked, ‘Spreekt u Nederlands?’ (Do you speak Dutch?) In an instant, the afternoon was completely different. Francoise (the woman) lit up, realizing that she could speak Dutch to us (she was originally from Antwerp and had married a Frenchman). Semiye, who had wanted to be an encouragement but spoke very little French, lit up at the possibility to have a real conversation. Emmanuel (the son) was thankful that his mother had someone to speak to in Dutch, since her most recent friend, who spoke Dutch, had passed away a few months before.

Sometimes we think that we know what is best, that we know what we can do. But we do not always value things the way that God does. In our eyes, speaking French was the highest value at these moments. When actually, here was a woman who needed someone who could speak Dutch, in the middle of Marseille. When we simply keep trying to be the children God has made, serving others, looking for ways to help – God will provide the opportunities. It is this realization that reminded me again how good it is to live my life in God’s dominion instead of thinking I have it worked out. Trusting Him and serving others – this is love as God created it and lives it.

Who is your king? What do you really want in your life? How can you get it? Good questions with one best answer.

Check out some more of our pictures from the week.