kolmapäev, august 04, 2004
The Field is the World
I was all set to call our landlady this morning about the refrigerator when I checked it one last time and found that the motor was running and the freezer was starting to get cold again. Hard to understand, but at least it is working. But I have a feeling that every day I am going to be double-checking to make sure it is still running.
Today is Peter's five-month birthday! It's incredible the positive effect he has had on our life. In this time of transition, he has caused us to slow down and not rush ahead blindly. He has needs that can't wait for us to do "one more thing." It has been a blessing and I think it will help us to take the time to do things well in Tartu.
He was the center of attention tonight, when we got together with the members of my Estonian language class at the home of one of the teachers. He was in a smiling good mood most of the night and everyone in the class wanted a chance to hold him. He heard so many languages tonight, since the people in the room come from Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, France, Sweden, Japan, Czech Republic and Korea. One of the students, Viada, kept wanting to hold him and would then coo over him in Lithuanian--to which he would just smile and kick his legs.
This room full of people from so many nations drawn together by what they had in common gave me a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. He is building His kingdom here among us all, and it is not bound by nationality. It also reminded me of Jesus' parable of the weeds in the field, which He explained to His disciples saying, "The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom." My classmates are not believers, and they are the field God so desires to reap. I've had some good discussions with some of them (they are open to far deeper conversations than most Americans I know), but their worldview is very different from mine. I will need wisdom as I try to be the good seed in Tartu, but knowing these people helps me to see that the field is ripe for the harvest.
--Tim
Today is Peter's five-month birthday! It's incredible the positive effect he has had on our life. In this time of transition, he has caused us to slow down and not rush ahead blindly. He has needs that can't wait for us to do "one more thing." It has been a blessing and I think it will help us to take the time to do things well in Tartu.
He was the center of attention tonight, when we got together with the members of my Estonian language class at the home of one of the teachers. He was in a smiling good mood most of the night and everyone in the class wanted a chance to hold him. He heard so many languages tonight, since the people in the room come from Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, France, Sweden, Japan, Czech Republic and Korea. One of the students, Viada, kept wanting to hold him and would then coo over him in Lithuanian--to which he would just smile and kick his legs.
This room full of people from so many nations drawn together by what they had in common gave me a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. He is building His kingdom here among us all, and it is not bound by nationality. It also reminded me of Jesus' parable of the weeds in the field, which He explained to His disciples saying, "The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom." My classmates are not believers, and they are the field God so desires to reap. I've had some good discussions with some of them (they are open to far deeper conversations than most Americans I know), but their worldview is very different from mine. I will need wisdom as I try to be the good seed in Tartu, but knowing these people helps me to see that the field is ripe for the harvest.
--Tim
