Peg here ... I'm so pleased to once again bring you author Donna Schlachter. Read about her trip to Peru and her reactions to that visit. She's also offering a giveaway. Scroll down for the details.
Feeling Small in a Great Big
World
By Donna Schlachter
 |
| Machu Picchu Peru - Image courtesy Pixabay.com |
I recently went to Peru on a
mission trip with my church. As a right-brain thinker—after all, I’m an
accountant by training—I had a list of things to accomplish: paint a Sunday
school class; install playground equipment; visit a halfway house for
recovering addicts; teach English to Spanish-speaking students; visit Machu
Picchu and see as much of the country as I could.
My first mission trip, my
first visit to South America—all neatly bundled up in a To-Do list.
Failure, right?
Wrong.
When it became apparent that
my plan was out the window, I tore up the list and resolved to ‘go with the
flow.’ So we only painted one-quarter of the wall for the Sunday school class—I
was blessed to spend time with my fellow travelers as we dipped our hands in
paint and decorated a sweatshirt. The playground was indoors, not outdoors as
I’d envisioned, but we did end up painting the walls in vibrant, happy colors. And
all that was required for me to teach English was to read a book with the
students and help them with their pronunciation.
All of this became so clear
when I stood at the base of Machu Picchu, beside a river, and just waited to
hear God in the midst of the roaring water. I gazed up at the gigantic mound of
granite facing me, marveling at the rocks as big as cars and buses. I enjoyed
the sun on my face and reveled in the lush jungle growth.
And then my eyes were drawn
to the ground. Peeking out from between the rocks was this tiny plant struggled
for a toe-hold to survive.
I felt so small in the face
of a so-big God. All my plans, my ideas, my lists—poof! Gone.
If God could care enough for
this tiny bit of greenery that He would ensure it had enough sunlight, enough
soil, enough water to survive, surely He cares enough about me—and you—to give
us what we need.
What we don’t need are more
plans, ideas, and lists. What we do need is more time with God, in His
presence, listening for His voice. We need more fellowship with other believers
and less time in front of our television. We need more service for His kingdom
and less work for our own. We need more quiet and less noise.
When we feel small in a great
big world, we need to run to our Father and climb up in His lap, enjoying the
feel of His arms around us. And pretty soon, we’ll understand just how
important we are to Him.
If you've ever wished you
could start a devotional at some time throughout the year other than January
1st, then this is the devotional for you!
Each day is numbered, so you can
start any day of the year and still walk through the Bible in a year.
If you
like to start out the year on the right foot on January 1st, then this is the
devotional for you! However you like to structure your quiet time, today is the
absolute best time to start!
About Donna:
Donna lives in Denver with
husband Patrick. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and
contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a member of American
Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime; facilitates a critique group,
and teaches writing classes. Donna ghostwrites and edits, and judges in writing
contests. She loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is
represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com Receive
a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter
Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2gZATjm
About the Giveaway ---
Question for readers: Briefly share a time when God spoke to you about how much He loves you.
A randomly-drawn winner will receive a free eBook copy of Transformation: A yearly devotional.
To enter, leave a comment below with your name and contact information. Giveaway ends one week from today at Midnight, Friday, August 17, CDT.
Donna, thank you so much for being my guest. I'm always happy to share writers with my readers. How exciting to have been able to visit the exotic Machu Picchu - I am so jealous. Blessings to you ...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for having me!
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