The Practice of ….being light bearers
The Scripture …Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Luke 18:16
The Devotion
Yogadevotion Retreat with a Purpose just returned from a second short term mission experience with Mission Jamaica. Mission Jamaica is an organization that has been working in Jamaica for 27 years. There are opportunities to build homes, run medical clinics and work at an orphanage called West Haven. West Haven is home to about 80 young people who have a range of physical and cognitive abilities ….many are restricted to their beds or wheelchairs because of untreated cerebral palsy. Though their age in years may not classify them as children….because we (through Mission Jamaica) have known them since they were kids, they are “our”children. We bath them, feed them, play games with them and carry them to church each Sunday.
The smiles and the joy on their faces when we get them all dressed up for church bear witness to the light of Christ that is within each of us. In worship all the children are invited to come forward for a blessing….a young man named Shelton ‘skips’ with his awkward gait to the front of the church laughing and saying God Bless You!
Shelton is a bearer of light, with a childlike faith he reminds us of Jesus love, and shares God’s blessing. As Shelton was being blessed inside the church, outside Yogadevotion’s manager Lisa Ender was doing healing touch and prayers with Ashanti…who is 8 but looks like she is 3…Ashanti has been very sick this year but as she was held by Lisa…her light shined for all of us that sat on the porch with the little ones that church was too loud for…Ashanti reminded us that she is part of the kingdom of God and a light bearer as well.
So much of Jesus ministry was with those other people rejected…in our scripture today, the disciples were trying to keep the children away from Jesus when Jesus proclaims they are the kingdom of God! They are light bearers….bearing witness to Gods love.
So many times we think yoga is about the asana’s, but truly the asana’s merely get us to a place where we can sit, like the little children at the feet of Jesus. Sit and breath in the light and love of Jesus for all Gods children and then BE light and love out into the world. Receiving the light of Christ is for the purpose of bearing the light in the world, through relationships of mutual love and compassion.
God Bless You ~ Shelton ~
