I recently went on an outreach to Zambia… Sometimes we think of Africa as this place far away from where we are. Yet, as South Africans / Namibians, we sometimes forget that we are as much part of Africa as the rest. This is our home and our dwelling – the place where God called us to represent Him.
It’s a pity that I had to go all the way to Zambia to see and feel how good God is to the people of Africa. We spent most of our time at a local school with only one building – the building itself was actually a church building and most of the classes took place outside. And in all this, none of the children had lack of joy. They played like any other child you’ve ever encountered. They did not need phones and gadgets to have fun and to experience God.
If there is one thing that God challenges me in all my life, it’s about what I have and how I think about where I am. I grew up in Johannesburg, where there are so many people chasing their dreams to get more wealth. I’m currently living in Stellenbosch and that trend has not changed. Yet I look at the children of Zambia who have very little and they are happy to the deepest reaches of their soul, and then at many teenagers in urban areas of South Africa, who have everything and are unhappy.
So the question, at the end of the day, is what do we find our happiness in? I want to believe that we always find our happiness in God – but sometimes our “gods” are something we make ourselves. Sometimes it’s something that just cannot sustain the reality of happiness. People who grow up with little can often tell so many stories and have such rich life experiences that many miss because they always seek something better than what they have.
Are you always looking for something better, or are you looking for what God can offer? There is nothing better than God. Instead of moving from one thing to another, looking for the “best” thing out there, maybe it is time to come back to a point where we seek our joy in God … not in games or human acceptance, or in things, but in God who freely gives to everyone as they need?
Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
Matthew 6:33
