Page 42 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 5

AFRIKA IS GOD’S
crutch, explanation or excuse. It
was the armor that protected her
from moving forward; the reason
she would not apply herself to
understand a difficult concept;
the barrier to getting a lasting
job. It was the base of her inter- see the way out despite her des- about her value in Him, her life
action with the world and guess
what…it wasn’t helping her.
Interestingly, she used her life
in Koch as a crutch yet she had
moved out a few years before
we met. She had worked with a
ministry taking hope back there
through scholarships, she was
spending time with people who
could challenge her narrative but
she wasn’t changing her world-
view. Why? It was hard and it
would challenge everything she
had always held onto. However,
if we were going to work togeth-
er and bring the change she was
talking about, this would have to
change permanently.
We would have to fight to the end
but she was not staying there if
I could help it so, I started the
fight. Whenever she brought up
growing up in Koch or used it
as a reason I asked, ‘So? What
does being from Koch have to
do with anything?’ Liz got mad
at me, so mad that she avoided
me for months yet she couldn’t
fully avoid me.
I was leading teams and she
needed my help so we had to in-
teract but it was a very strained
interaction. Every time she tried
to use Koch as an excuse I
asked the same biting question
with increasing intensity be-
cause I realized that her mind-
set was the real challenge. One
day after many fights, I noticed
a change in her posture when I
asked the question. I heard her
question her defense, I watched
her eyes light up when she un-
derstood that where she came
from wasn’t as important as
where God was taking her.
42 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika
She had made progress but she
still couldn’t see how to scale the
invisible barrier her background
raised; she couldn’t see how to
move beyond what she had al-
ways known; her mind couldn’t
perate desire to set an example
for those she left behind. Thus
begun the journey of dealing
with every excuse she had ever
given. It was quite the journey,
shrouded in hard conversations,
deep dealings with God, many
tears, broken relationships and
studying the Word. It took sep-
aration, times alone and hon-
est reflections away from all of
us but I could see God at work
each step of the way.
At one time, she almost passed
up a job opportunity to hold
fort for a friend on maternity
leave because she was scared
she wouldn’t have a job after
the three months were over. I
pushed her to believe she could
work well and display compe-
tence so they would want to
keep her and it worked. She
did. Then she fell and broke her
leg and once again feared that
her employer would let her go
because of the extended heal-
ing time, once again she was
proved wrong.
The change came when her
mind finally understood that
the perfect plan of God must
be the only fuel for her life; that
challenges would still remain
but she had the ability to over-
come. Change came when she
understood that she had to look
within herself, understand her
limitation then ascend to the lim- Liz faced is the same struggle
itless nature of God and become
what He told her she would be.
It wasn’t an instant solution but
a process, one thought, moment
and day at a time as she chose
to stand on the word God spoke
and live it out even when it didn’t
make sense. This allowed God
to fulfill His Word and promise.
The journey wasn’t easy for her
but by now she knew that unless
she held onto the new picture
God was placing in her heart
wouldn’t count as much so she
pressed on dealing with every
aspect of life. She rose in faith
to silence the voices on the out-
side and remind herself that her
path was charted by God and
His word would remain true.
Change had come!
Today, five years later, Liz is still
working at the same organiza-
tion in a completely different
role, has grown professionally
and has even gone back into
Koch to help the children con-
nect to God. Above all, she has
grown in her walk with God. She
is able to speak of the realities of
walking with God in the appoint-
ed path and finding His peace,
joy and life. Her life is evidence
that God had His eye on her but
she was standing in her own
way; once she got out of the
way, He made it work.
What is holding you back? What
are the anchors in your mind
that keep you limited? What do
you need to let go of for the word
of God to break forth? You are
so much more than where you
were born and what you have
been through to date. Your path
was defined and ordained to
build the skills needed to be-
come everything God has put in
you.
Editor’s comment: The struggle
Afrika is facing. Mindset. Over-
come those limitations and you
will break through to whole new
realities and possibilities.