The Daily Battle

Love is a choice. It's not all about romance, although romance does have its perks. The same applies for me in regards to my "feelings" and relationship with the country of Egypt. I love this country. But I have found that on days when the exotic realm of ancient history doesn't do it for me, when the simplicity that I usually adore wears me down, when the habitual disrespect by the locals slaps me in the face AGAIN... I pull out the love. It may not flow naturally, but there has not been one moment of regret since my move here. The last four months that I have called this place home, one of the harshest realities was having to be faced the revelation of my sin... how selfish I have lived, how easily angered I become, and how loving people is always for the benefit of others. I have to keep my purpose for being here in the forefront of my mind. Thinking with an eternal perspective is what drives me on the days that I find myself wanting to scream. Pushy, aggressive and grouchy defines many of the locals I encounter daily, but I have to make it a point to look beyond the exterior. I don't get to just dote on the sweet innocent ones who need help, and that I find myself excited to serve. It's about serving this nation, the rough, the tough, and the ones who don't necessarily want to be loved by me. Love is about sacrifice, and for us Americans, sacrificing our pride goes against the grain of all that we have been taught. It's not easy to love when those around you aren't loveable...in fact, it's impossible. This whole battle of my will with my spirit has driven me to the cross daily, asking my Father to love them through me. In yearning for His strength, I find his promises true that His mercy is new every morning...His daily mercy for me is now able to be extended to those still lost.