Full Circle...

One of the leaders at Heart For Africa emailed our November team and said he had a hard time sleeping last night, so he took the photos that I took on our last trip to Swaziland and made a slideshow...  I'm going to post it first, but if you want to know why it took my breath away, you'll have to read on afterwards...  He did an incredible job with the slideshow...

It's been almost a year, but on January 4, 2009, I posted my first entry of the New Year, this is what I wrote...

"Each year I like to ask myself the question, "What do I want God to do in my heart this year?" I guess that could sound a little presumptuous, God will do as He sees fit, but I hope that the longing that He gives me each year, is from Him…a burden for something in my life that needs changing.

Over the last months, since our adoption, God has continued to show me how hard my heart still is and lately, I have found myself longing for God to break my heart...

Over Christmas, I was on IT*nes, trying to find some new groups that I would enjoy listening to and I stumbled across a song by Brandon Heath, it really spoke to my heart. Here are the lyrics…

"Looked down from a broken sky Traced out by the city lights My world from a mile high Best seat in the house tonight Touched down on the cold black tile Hold on for the sudden stop Breath in the familiar shock Of confusion and chaos  All those people going somewhere? Why have I never cared?

Step out on a busy street See a girl and our eyes meet Does her best to smile at me To hide what’s underneath There’s a man just to her right Black suit and a bright red tie Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work He’s buying time  All those people going somewhere? Why have I never cared?

I’ve Been there a million times A couple of million eyes just move and pass me by I swear I never thought that I was wrong Well I want a second glance  So give me a second chance To see the way you see the people all alone

Give me your eyes for just one second Give me your eyes so I can see Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity Give me your arms for the broken hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach Give me your heart for the once forgotten"

Too often I find that my heart doesn’t break for the brokenness of humanity and that makes me sad. But I believe that Mr. Heath has the right idea…we need to pray for God’s eyes to see.

He created a perfect world…He gave us a tremendous gift and we wrecked it…that must grieve His heart…so it should grieve mine too. I need His eyes to see…His heart to feel…His love to give…His selflessness to sacrifice.

I have so far to go and yet, I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), a work in progress, being crafted by the hand of the Master… I am no where near where He wants me, but I’m so far from what I used to be!

I pray that when this time rolls around next year, my heart will be more tender, more compassionate, more full of mercy and overflowing with His love and grace…I pray that I will see more with His eyes each and every day.

Many blessings in the New Year!

When I started watching the slideshow and the Brandon Heath song started playing, it took my breath away...  As the New Year rolls around,  I have no doubt that God has been answering that prayer...  I'm not all the way there yet, not even close, but it was this last trip to Africa that He used to break my heart for those in distress, like never before...  He is giving me eyes to see, like never before... He is bringing the year full cirle...  I just love how God is intimately involved in the details of our lives!!