Allow the dead to bury their own dead

Yesterday morning I dropped off some girls at an orphanage in downtown PauP. While I was there, we chatted with the gatekeeper there. He told us right over the fence was a dead man. Someone found the body earlier in the morning. I said… oh… and went on my day. Later that day I went back to pick up the girls around 4pm… the body was still there. As I stood there waiting to pick up the girls I could not help but think of Luke 9:59. I know the heart of what Jesus was saying was metaphorical, at least that is what I had always been taught. Yes, a few feet away lay a dead man that was in all likelihood just another dude like me walking the earth. The only difference is my day to go is in the future and his day was yesterday. The miracle of life and the tragedy of death happen frequently here making it less of a big deal than it should be. That is… unless that dead guy over the fence is someone you know. Then it becomes a big deal. In the book Radical, David Platt says something like this, “a tragedy is not a tragedy unless it effects you personally”. I will wake up tomorrow and pretty much forget about the dead guy. That in it self is a tragedy.

Luke:  Lord, permit me first to go and bury (await the death of) my father. But Jesus said to him, Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and publish abroad throughout all regions the kingdom of God.

I would like to tell you that I don’t really know why God put that verse in my head. The truth is that God has been telling me to let go of some things I have been holding onto for a while. I do let it go, but then I so easily pick it up. I need to let go of the dead things/people in my life, the ones that don’t bring glory to Him.

My prayer: Father, I do believe… but help me in my unbelief.


Random Haiti:

• I wondered why the UN wears blue camos. I felt like it blue camos was kina an oxymoron. I was corrected and told that the UN wears blue to battle the smurfs. Must work, I have seen zero smurf population here. Good job UN… good job.
• Paige informed me that rap music broadens here vocabulary. I have decided to have a vocabulary of an average redneck
• I held hands with Troy today cause it’s what guys do here. His hands are not soft and I did not get the warm fuzzies. I won’t do that again. My experimental days are over.
• I watched the heartline braintrust meet about things today. There is so much work that goes into true discipleship. Was reminded today how unglamorous it is, but it’s what we are called to do.
• I watched a dad walk his little daughter to school. There is just something special here about watching a father care for his daughter.
• I saw a cop truck with at least 25 little girls in uniform going to school. I swear, there is a photo op around every corner in this country.
• John got me a pretty blue bug zapper today. The last one I got literally went up in smoke… literally.
• I killed so many mosquitoes today. They all were lost and went to hell. I am ok with that.


Random Me:
A friend of mine told me weeks ago that this place will make one very introspective. I am about the most introspective person I know to begin with. I think deep and wide and with the passion of a bull in a china store. This place magnifies that. I feel so loved here one minute… yet so alone the next. I think of my life. It’s successes… it’s failures. I tend to focus on the failures a lot. Especially the ones that brought my path here. I need less introspective and more prospective. Just had a visitor in my room as I ended this. She reminded me of a time not to long ago when God plainly told me “I love you” and “It’s ok”

Mutemath Lyrics:
Your precious words intoxicate
A heart that aches; it's ok
You don't recall my past mistakes
You just say it's ok
The human mind can't calculate
Your perfect grace, but it's ok

Even though you've seen a thousand times
I've let you down
You're always there if I should call your name
You're unashamed, unashamed