I want to learn Joy

This has been on my mind for a couple of weeks..



I have just recently seen a film entitled Invisible Children. Filmed in 2003 by three young guys who wanted to Uganda and do something with their lives, it was a story about the civil unrest that was going on in that country at the time. Basically, there was a group of rebels that was fighting against the government and killed many innocent people, including children. These rebels would also come in the middle of the night and rip children from their beds and force them to be in their army. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 i think were targets due to their weakness to brain washing. So these kids would go to the next town every night and sleep together just so they would be abducted. Most of them orphaned by the death of their family at the hands of the rebels.

A friend of mine just spent three weeks in the same village that this was filmed in. The thing is, I had no clue about what was going on over there until after she was back. I mean, I knew that there was unrest there and everything but I just played it off like it was no big deal. But when I saw this film, I had to ask her about Uganda and how things were there. What she told me shook everything that that I had grown custom when it comes to my faith in God.

She told me first that the leader of the rebels, who was briefly discussed in the film, had been killed. Then she told me that when he died, the children armies died as well. I let out a sigh of relief because I remember seeing these kids with guns being forced to kill or be killed and it broke my heart. I asked her what was going there now and she told me that they are trying to rebuild and bounce back. She said there is major lack of food and stuff like that.

Then I asked her if she learned anything and she told me that more than anything she learned Joy. I thought to myself, "that's not what I expected to hear". So I asked her why and she said that the people there are more focused on Jesus than their next meal. They truly love the Lord and praise Him for everything.

Now let's be honest here. That makes me feel like dirt. I have a hard time believing that I would be content with the Lord if I had nothing else. I like to think that I would celebrate Jesus if I had nothing, but I doubt i would. Now, I have to ask myself.. How do I love Jesus like them. I want to really know what it feels like so see myself as someone who has nothing, yet has everything!