The “Why” of a Thing
I was recently reminiscing about my time in Zimbabwe as it will be a year in October since I was fortunate enough to spend 21 days there. The circumstances of my being there were not at all related to the purpose God had for me while I was there.
Let me explain.
I was invited to Zimbabwe to support a dear friend at an art conference where she was asked to guest speak. I mentioned to the organizer that I too was an artist and next thing I knew I was invited to host a workshop as well. Excited and nervous as this was my first trip to southeastern Africa and my first as a workshop leader, I had to wait on God to show me what I should present. I prayed, He answered and my two favorite arts: photography and poetry came together. I had a packed class and a beautiful time of sharing.
But that wasn't why I went to Zimbabwe. It turned out that the Art conference was just the “how” of the story.
Let me back up. When I tell you that I immediately felt at home in Zimbabwe, I wouldn't be telling half of it! Everything about my physical body and spirit was fed there. I didn't suffer from the aches and pains that plagued me here. I ate real ( non-gmo, wild sourced) food for the first time in almost 50 years! My new Zimbabwe tribe rose up around us and cared for us in so many ways! We supported local businesses and watched our dollars go directly back into the community. Honestly, I could have stayed…
But the physical and spiritual rejuvenation wasn't even why God sent me to Zimbabwe.
It turned out that I was supposed to go to a city called Bulawayo in Zimbabwe which was 228 miles from our original destination of Harare. I was supposed to stay at a beautiful local lodge called Padandaro which is owned by a dynamic woman named Star Mpedzisi-a single mom who believed she could be an entrepreneur. On the last day of our stay I was meant to meet one of Star's employees, a shy woman by the name of Ms. Pretty Dube. And even though we didn't befriend each other then, we were supposed to be connected by Star later as Ms. Pretty was diagnosed with uterine cancer and needed financial assistance for her to be cured.
Ms. Pretty was my “why” for traveling to Zimbabwe.
It's almost a year later now and Ms. Pretty is about to begin the second phase of her cancer treatments. She was amazingly brave through 6 grueling rounds of old school chemotherapy. She preemptively cut off her hair so she would have one less loss to deal with. She continued to work at Padandaro when she had the strength. She continued to be the primary breadwinner in a household with 6 children (two are hers and 4 were birthed by her sister who died tragically) and her mom who is a huge support.
I now count Ms. Pretty as my spiritual sister because there was no real earthly reason for us to have connected in such a deep way. I am grateful to be a part of the effort to raise funds for her cancer treatments and to support her on those days when her body and soul are taxed.
I told her the other day that the Lord has a strong anointing on her and her children. Why else would He orchestrate all that He did to bring me and others into her world? God led generous donors who don't even know her to give out of the abundance of their hearts. The chemotherapy successfully beat back the cancer from the size of an egg to about the size of a small grape. I sent her a graphic of the size difference and her response was, “hallelujah!”
She texted me once after her chemo and said that if it wasn't for my fundraising efforts, “I would be in the dirt.” I know for a fact that isn't true but I am thankful that God pulled me into the work He was already doing.
I am learning that God is always at work and He knows exactly where to move people to do the work He requires to be done. I am learning that joining in His work bears fruit and that going it alone does not. I am learning that since He knows the “why” of a thing it really shouldn't matter to us the “how”; we simply need to be ready to be obedient.
If you, like me, weren't raised to be yielded to the will and work of the Lord, may I HIGHLY suggest the book, “Experiencing God” by Henry, Richard and Mike
Blackaby?! Being privileged to know how God orchestrates a thing is like being invited to hear a beautiful new symphony being written for a select audience. It's like being picked for the “A” team even though you don't have “D” league skills. It's like receiving an invitation to an exclusive banquet to taste dishes that will only ever be made this one time.
Being invited by God to do His work is all you will ever desire or want in your life.
Psalm 34 in the amplified version is resonating with me right now. Verse 8 says,
[8] O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him. The rest of David's words speak to Ms. Pretty’s situation in that she is being delivered from an enemy (cancer) just like David was when he wrote that Psalm. I can't wait to see how God manifests Himself in the life of the Dube family as the rest of their story unfolds!
To donate and give Ms. Pretty Dube the opportunity to see all of her children grow into their purpose, click the link to her GoFundMe page and be a part of God’s special plan.
May God richly bless you! Sylvia
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