July 10, 2012
“Do not worry, do not be afraid, do not fear…” Over and over again – 365 times to be exact – God’s word reminds us not to be discouraged. But for us humans, this is almost impossible. Everywhere we go, we are bound to encounter reasons to worry, and often become subject to them: education, grades, financial aid, family matters, etc.
But, the Living 
Springs Christian Church (LSCC) Community – the community we’re living in right now – is different. Where there are a lot of reasons to worry, there is such a lack of fear and an abundance of Godly joy. I truly noticed this during our bible study last Wednesday. The study was on John 14:1-7. In this piece of scripture, Jesus tells His disciples that He’s going to His Father’s house and that He is the way, the truth, and the life that His disciples need to arrive at this home/ “kingdom.” In a sense, Jesus tells them that He is all they need to arrive at this beautiful place of peace, love, and joy. And it was clear to me that everyone there understood what this meant.
The places we live in are clearly very small compared to our homes back in America (or Indonesia – in my case). The houses of Pastor Wenchi, Kuya Nap, Kuya Rus, and Kuya Lito (people whose houses we lived in) were literally a quarter of the size of our houses back home. As they did not have much space to start with, our arrival at their places cost them a lot of living (and sleeping) space. On top of that, they still had their financial matters to attend to. But there was not a single hint of grumbling on our families’ part regarding their situations.
And, funny enough, during the bible study, not a single word was uttered about asking God for more wealth. Instead, people kept on talking about how different and how beautiful the Kingdom of God was going to be. And, it seemed like they were also saying, “Riches won’t satisfy, Jesus will.” These words didn’t come from our mouths, they came from the mouths of people like Lovely, whose dad had recently gotten his work permit suspended for two years, and whose mom did not make much to start with – or like Ate Minda, who suffers from a nerve abnormality, but doesn’t have the funds to buy medicine every month.
To me, that is true joy. It is not conditional, it is not mere, temporary “happiness.” And I hope we can reflect on this. Maybe we can ask God the simple question, “What is holding me back from experiencing the fullness of Your love and joy? What insecurities can I start entrusting into your hands so that I can truly experience Your joy? Try asking God these questions. Because, the joy that you will receive once you let these things go, will be like no other. It will be a true, eternal, Godly joy.
By Krisna Tahija
