Dependence and willingness. These words come to mind when I think of Brasilia Amarelo’s third week at Agua Viva hosting a teen camp with Lifeshape. Throughout all of Brazil, we have been going to and from churches. We’ve painted, plastered, cleaned, and performed. And through it all, it has been a blessing. But at some points, it gets tiring. This Brazilian sun is no joke. And painting walls in the hot sun wasn’t always what we in conjunction with hearing the phrase “serve the Lord”. But throughout this whole trip, the Lord has truly taught me what true dependence on Him looks like. He taught me how to lean on Him when I was tired of working, when I was homesick when I had a fever, and even when I found myself wanting to listen to music or watch Friends. But I believe this trip has been a spiritual refreshment for not only me but my whole team.
The Lord has reminded me that every day when I wake up, He looks forward to being with me and talking with me. He wants to continue in this relationship we have and waits in anticipation for me to get away and be with Him. Some days have been amazing. I would wake up, walk a trail that would overlook these beautiful mountains near Agua Viva, and talk with the Lord as if He was walking right next to me. Other times, I’ll go quite a while without coming in contact with my Creator. And because of this, I notice that I am quick to get tired, irritated, and unsatisfied. My attitude changes, along with how I start to view the world and the people around me. Brazil has taught me that complete dependence on the Lord is an absolute necessity. I can’t function without having intentional time with the Lord. And because of this, it bleeds into how I serve others. When we are serving the Lord, our personal relationship with Christ shows. While I’m serving in Brazil, I notice where I am in my relationship with Christ based on my attitude, my willingness to serve, and the way I responded to others. When we deprive our souls of spending time with its Creator, it starts to show especially when we are serving the God who created us.
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The Lord has taught me He wants to use me to further His kingdom wherever I go. But if I am not spending time with Him, putting my full dependence on Him and be willing to be used by Him, how will He ever use me?
The Lord wants to use the gifts and talents that He has given us to further His kingdom. But the question is “are we willing?” And if we are willing, will we go through in doing what the Lord asks of us? During the Life shape camp here at Agua Viva, we focused on Isaiah 6. The Lord gives Isaiah a vision of His glory and majesty in heaven. One of the seraphim touched Isaiah’s mouth with a burning coal from the throne of God. This symbolized that the Lord was cleansing him of his sin and guilt. Once Isaiah was cleansed from his sin the Lord immediately wanted to use his in His redemption plan.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me!” Isaiah 6:8
The Lord wants us to spend time with Him, be dependent on Him so that we will be willing to serve when He says, “who will go for me?”. The Lord has used Brasilia Amarelo in so many amazing ways. And the Lord has reminded us that if we want to continue in serving Him, we need to remember that we first need to be intentional in our relationship with Him and have complete dependence on Him.