I want to share a journal entry that I wrote after the visit of Bishop John Rucyahana (rooshahana) this past week. I mark this as a transformational week in my life and my heart, and The Lord is to be praised for bringing this man of God to our campus to speak to us and encourage us to pursue Christ. So here's the journal entry:
After just walking out of convo, I am left with so much weight upon my heart. A weight placed directly by God, I am sure. Bishop John, the leader of the reconciliation movement in Rwanda, spoke to us about the grace of God and how his nation has recovered after such a horrific genocide. He told of the deep pain and hurt that filled the hearts of the perpetrators of the genocide, and how through the power of God the families of those killed were able to forgive the perpetrators.
His message was powerful because he spoke of the living God, not the distant, abstract God that we talk about so often in America. He spoke of a God, mighty in power to save, and full of grace and redemption, actively working to recreate a place where death and pain had reigned. He spoke of a God that loves deeply and whose fire burns bright for all the world to see. He spoke of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Scripture at large.
We so desperately needed to hear this message. My community here at Samford is so God saturated ,but we keep Christ and the fury of His love at a safe distance. We are comfortable with God and with religion, but we squirm when we hear that Christ requires our full submission and our entire lives, calling us to deeper discipleship to Him.
I'm still sorting out this week, with all that God revealed to me, and trying to figure out what the Lord wants me to learn. I am so thankful for Bishop John's visit. The Lord is good.
