So I wear this bracelet… it is really simple…. it's red and the material of a "Livestrong" bracelet but it reads "Never Give Up." When I started wearing this bracelet 6 months ago, it was to support my Uncle Steve in his courageous batter with ALS. Everytime I would look at it I would think "Never give up Uncle Steve," "with God all things are possible and you WILL overcome this." I had all the hope in the world that he would overcome this illness because he was such a strong man and loved life. On March 26,2010, he lost the battle with this horrid disease and of course I still wore my bracelet, but everytime I would look at it, I was overwhelmed with flashbacks and memories that were hard to accept, so I stopped looking at this phrase for what it means and was just wearing it to wear it with the rest of my family.
As I was sitting at one of the many schools we went to on our school tour in Uganda, I began to think about all of the kids we were preaching to and loving on. I was beginning to get a little overwhelmed and doubting myself for being there. I mean I had such a hope for these people, I knew that the Lord had big plans for us being there, but it was hard to go from school to school and not ever see the affects. I began to pray and ask the Lord if I was crazy for being here and what my purpose was, I was asking Him if I was hoping in these people for no reason and to give me a sign that what I was doing had a purpose and that there really was hope for this poverty filled country… at that time I went to put my head down on the desk in front of me and saw an encouraging statement, "Never Give Up." It was the first time I had looked at that phrase from a different viewpoint than fighting the cure for ALS. I really felt the Lord telling me, "Rachel, never give up on these kids, NEVER give up on this country, I have brought you here for a reason and through me, you will do SO much." Then a verse came to my head, Phil. 3:13-14 "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
This verse just hit the nail on the head for me! For my Uncle Steve, it explains everything… there is no point on dwelling on what could've been and he knew that full well, he "strained toward what was ahead" and lived life to the fullest every single day and he did win the prize, on March 26, when the Lord called him heavenward "in Christ Jesus," how awesome is that? He didn't just die and go to heaven, he was CALLED heavenward by Jesus Christ, the King of the universe called my Uncle Steve to Him, and that is AWESOME!
As for this verse applying to my trip, I want to give these people hope, I want to spread the love of God and love all over these children and broken hearts! I want them to forget their old lives and strain toward what is ahead! I want them to see that the Lord has a HUGE future for them, that He loves them SO much and has SO much in store for them, I want them to learn that their is a BIG God that loves them unconditionally but that He is also an intimate God and wants to know their every emotion and how they feel! I hope that they press on toward the goal and win the prize for which God has called them heavenward in Christ Jesus. And I hope so much that they "Never Give Up" hope in themselves or in each other and that they "Never Give Up" hope in a God that loves them so so dearly!
