Another adventure led me to a leprosy village in remote China. I was very intimidated by this, and was grabbing on to that “dependency” lesson every step of our trip. Our group made plans to visit the village, bringing love, medical care, and supplies to the people there. I was amazed at the reality of how rejected these people were, ostracized from society and nearly forgotten down the long dirt road that led to their hideaway. It truly brought new emotion and understanding to the stories of Jesus’ encounters with lepers.
While touring their village, they led us to a very old and abandoned building, and to our surprise, we found a woman living in it. It was so grievous to realize that these rejected people had outcast one of their very own - a blind and crippled woman had been left in a dark corner of the neglected building.
I’ll never forget what I heard Jesus say to me in that moment. I was kneeling before the woman with a translator at my side and all I could see before me was ugliness. Discomfort filled every bit of me and all my eyes could see were mangled feet, broken skin, blind eyes, and the stench of poverty. I knew that God wanted me to embrace this woman with the love He had sent me to give, but I found myself wholly unable. I offered my hand, and what was left of hers grabbed mine with such a desperation that I dropped my eyes to the ground and began pleading with God to give me what I knew I didn’t possess. In that moment of simple asking and recognizing that my own measure would never be enough to give in the name of Christ, He answered, “I will do it.”
That’s all it took. I lifted my head and my eyes now saw a beautiful creation of God, who’s worth to Him was far more than my heart could hold. A real, overruling love filled my heart and somehow my two arms found themselves wrapped around her whole body. She began to shake and cried “I’ve missed you, I’ve missed you.” How could a blind woman have missed me, someone she had never met? Her blindness allowed for me to be removed and Christ was present. This changed me. I now know that no person is unreachable, no encounter too difficult, no challenge too great, that the indwelling Life of Christ cannot take it on victoriously and lovingly through my yielded life.THIS, my friends, is the power of Christ working in and through us. Doing what we are unable to do. Loving those we can't love. Touching those we don't want to touch. Embracing the outcasts through our lives yielded to Him.
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight..." Hebrews 13:20,21
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21
[read the entire interview with Annie here.]
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