Getting Muddy
I spent the weekend in Africa. Well, not really, but almost! Harding is sponsoring this year's World Mission Workshop, which will be located at Harding's global village. A global village is a simulation of the lifestyles of other cultures, and as you walk through the village you will find authentic African huts, Asian houses on stilts, slums, refugee tents, latrines, gardens, and markets. Much needs to be done in order to prepare for the workshop, so I went to the global village this weekend with a group of other students to work. My team drove out to "Africa," where we grabbed some shovels, took off our shoes, and learned how to mud an African hut. Up until this weekend, I did not realize that "mud" could be a verb, but now I definitely understand not only the definition but the process of mudding!
Using shovels, we turned up the hard, dry dirt and added water to it until it became squishy and soft. The best way to mix the mud was with your feet, so I took off my shoes and let the mud squeeze between my toes, forming a suction that made a funny squish sound every time I stepped in the mud pile! After mixing the mud, I grabbed a handful, swung my arm back like a professional baseball pitcher, and chunked that mud against the wall of the hut. SPLAT! Everyone standing within the splash zone squealed and laughed as mud splattered all over their shirts, faces, and hair. By lunch time, everyone was polka-dotted with tiny spots of mud from head to toe. You should have seen us! We were coated with as much mud as the hut was. But we felt so accomplished when we finished our giant mud sculpture; it was truly a work of art.
On any normal day, we would fuss and grumble about getting our clothes dirty or finding mud under our nails. Yet for some reason, the attitude of a servant overrides all those emotions. The heart of a servant is willing and joyful in the midst of the dirty work. In fact, a humble servant finds it satisfying to take off their shoes and play in the mud. It is in those places that we are truly stepping in the footsteps of Jesus as we seek to follow Him. And we don't even have to go to Africa to be a part of this service, this mission, this calling. We can be willing to take off our shoes, strip off our pride, and laugh with joy as we serve people wherever we are. Getting muddy has never been so great!
Using shovels, we turned up the hard, dry dirt and added water to it until it became squishy and soft. The best way to mix the mud was with your feet, so I took off my shoes and let the mud squeeze between my toes, forming a suction that made a funny squish sound every time I stepped in the mud pile! After mixing the mud, I grabbed a handful, swung my arm back like a professional baseball pitcher, and chunked that mud against the wall of the hut. SPLAT! Everyone standing within the splash zone squealed and laughed as mud splattered all over their shirts, faces, and hair. By lunch time, everyone was polka-dotted with tiny spots of mud from head to toe. You should have seen us! We were coated with as much mud as the hut was. But we felt so accomplished when we finished our giant mud sculpture; it was truly a work of art.
On any normal day, we would fuss and grumble about getting our clothes dirty or finding mud under our nails. Yet for some reason, the attitude of a servant overrides all those emotions. The heart of a servant is willing and joyful in the midst of the dirty work. In fact, a humble servant finds it satisfying to take off their shoes and play in the mud. It is in those places that we are truly stepping in the footsteps of Jesus as we seek to follow Him. And we don't even have to go to Africa to be a part of this service, this mission, this calling. We can be willing to take off our shoes, strip off our pride, and laugh with joy as we serve people wherever we are. Getting muddy has never been so great!
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