A Smile a Mile Wide
In July 2010, I was privileged to spend about ten days in Kiria, Kenya, a small, mountainous village at the base of the Aberdare Mountains in central Kenya. I was there leading 23 of my friends from my church on our very first short-term mission trip to Kenya. Every morning, when we would roll into Kiria, the kids in the village would literally come out of the woodwork and, with such abandon, run toward our bus, each of them sporting a smile a mile wide and waiving both hands wildly. Even though I’ve been back to Kiria many times now, the image I have of those kids running toward us that first day is still vivid in my memory.
One morning that week, when I was up early and out by the fire enjoying Morning Prayer, I heard God speak into my soul something that touched me so deeply it's hard for me to describe how I feel about it even today, nearly eight years later. This is what I heard in my heart...
Dave...
I AM your Father, and you are My son. As My son, you've begun to know and experience Me as your Father. And, while it's true that I AM The Father and that I have the heart of a father, it’s true, too, that I have the heart of a little child...
Like a child, I LOVE being around My people. I love being around you, and I love it when you come to see Me and just want to be with Me where I AM...
And just like the little children of Kiria, who run toward your bus each morning as they see you and the team approaching, I feel so very much the same way about you when I see you come out into the living room each morning just to be with Me. I AM always so happy just to see you and to be with you. With your every turn toward Me (if you'll look closely enough), you'll see Me—just like the children of Kiria—running toward you, wearing a smile a mile wide and waiving both Hands wildly...
THAT's how glad I AM to see you...
How glad I AM to know you...
How glad I AM to share your life with you...
And how glad I AM to share Mine with you.
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Until the above happened, I had little concept of just how much God loves spenging time with me. It was then and there that I began to plumb the depths of Psalm 16:11 (Darby Translation), which reads, "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life. Thy countenance [Your mile-wide smile] is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand [waiving wildly at me] are pleasures forevermore."
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
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