As I sat in her small home, a 4x4 meter Wendy House in the middle of the Heideveld
neighbourhood in the Cape Flats, I found myself deeply aware of God’s grace and love. But not
only that, I was so aware of her love and commitment to God. This precious woman started
telling her story, and what a story it was. She was bullied at school and decided to drop out,
saying she felt dumb. Shortly after this, the Tik addiction began, and for thirteen years she stole
regularly from her family to satisfy her addiction. She neglected her four children, leaving them
to fend for themselves as she left the house to get high. Of course, none of this behaviour sat well
with her Muslim family, and yet nothing changed.
And then, on Christmas Day in 2013, my friend attended church with a friend and decided then
and there that it was time to change permanently. She prayed and asked God to take away her
addiction and help her take care of her children. Taking whatever steps she could to start making
things right, she started visiting the Kids Club where her children had been going to get food and
weekly Bible lessons. Offering to do anything to somehow help, she became part of the team
there, and now, almost 3 years later, she is one of the star staff members, caring for other
neglected children in the community in the same manner her kids were looked after during her
season of addiction. She offers her home and her time to love God and her community for not
much monetary reward. She gets a lot of flack from her family for turning towards Jesus instead
of towards the Muslim faith. And yet she soldiers on. Her life did not start out so great, but she is
running this race well.
When she was recently offered a really good job, she turned it down, because it would take her
away from the work she believes God has called her to in loving the kids in her community,
helping them prepare for school.
As I listened to her story, I found myself deeply confronted by my own entitlement, and the
demands I place on God regularly. This precious woman has literally given her all to Jesus,
loving Him with one of the most grateful hearts I have ever seen, and I sit and complain about
things not going my way or about my ‘First World Problems.’ I know ‘First World Problems’
are supposed to be a joke, but are they in actuality? We have become so accustomed to certain
things as inalienable rights that we deserve, rather than receiving what God gifts us with grace
and gratitude. I don’t know if I could ever live as she does. She lives out what it means to follow
God with a complete abandonment that I have seldom seen before.
May we be reminded to that love God with everything is a joy, no matter the cost, and that His
grace is all we need to be able to keep moving forward in faith. May we learn to love God with
the pure abandonment of this faithful young woman.