Are You Ready ?

This past Sunday we held a “Thank You Luncheon” for our Africa sponsors.  When the three of us get together and start talking about Africa we don’t stop.  We could go on for hours and this lunch was no exception.

Toward the end Richard set up his laptop to show some of our videos as the group was walking the room, eating and looking at our pictures. The video of a boys choir came on and I was taken back there as I remembered something very significant that I want to share with you.

Durban, South Africa, December 22, 2012

As you can see in this photo they were on a street corner standing in a half circle entertaining the crowd.   Fantastic harmony and no music at all, some dance moves with all 17 boys in perfect step with one another and each dressed alike. After every song the crowd would clap and throw money into a container placed on the ground in front of them.  The crowd kept growing larger and their adult leader (seen to the left in the bottom picture) had to stop and empty the container into his backpack several times because multiple homeless people kept walking through and trying to steal the money while the boys were pouring their hearts out in song and dance.

We did not interrupt them to ask if they were a school or church choir.  We had no idea what they were saying because they were singing in the Zulu language.  We stayed there in awe for well over an hour just soaking in this African experience.

The life lesson that I want to share with you here is that people began to lay money down and then point to a specific boy in the choir who would then step out into the front and take the lead on the next song.  I was amazed at this because that meant that every single boy had to be trained and “READY” to be the lead at any moment.  None of them knew when they would be chosen.  Not one boy was shy, or hung his head and said no, each one took their place and stood up very well to the challenge.  The more animated the lead boy was the more members of the audience would shout and dance as well.

For those of you who have given your life to Christ I am speaking to you.  We must be ready at any moment to give account for the hope that is in us.  We do not know when we will be called upon out of the crowd to give testimony of Jesus Christ and Him living inside of us.  No matter how many times we stumble and fall it is in the getting up that is the testimony of our tenacity and fervor to not let the cares of this world overtake us.

Zechariah 4:6

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

This is why we get back up.  This is why we do not relent.  Because we love Him and He is going to call us out of this world at any moment and none of us knows when so we must be ready when we are pointed out either to testify here, or leave here and testify in Heaven.

Blessings to you, keep praying, stay strong and never give up !!

In the words of my precious friend, Heidi….

“Not because we HAVE to, but because we WANT to.”