Stevie.
What a name!
An incredibly handsome name for sure.
An incredibly handsome name for sure.
A name with attitude.
A name given to a little boy
with courage.
With faith.
With passion.
With a dream and a goal!
I really like the name Stevie.
I think God does too.
I have been going on walks more
frequently these past few weeks.
Not for necessarily exercise,
but to clear my head.
To spend more time with God.
To be alone and just listen to
my worship music as I walk across the airstrip at sunset.
I walk to the beat of each
song.
Some fast, some slower… it just
helps me think and relieves some stress.
It allows me to have time to
pray and truly thank the Lord for the things around me.
It allows me to push the
selfishness and frustrations aside and see the bigger picture.
Usually the beauty.
Children try to run and walk
beside me when I walk on the airstrip.
I usually give a friendly wave
and say, “Hello, how are you?” and they stop as I proceed onward.
Today as I began to walk I had
a little boy come and walk beside me.
We had the small conversation
that I have with all the kids that come walk beside me, but this time he did
not stop walking.
He continued.
In all honestly, all I wanted
to do was walk faster or go into a full on sprint, but whom was I kidding… I
would be trying to outrun a Ugandan child.
I wanted to tell him to walk
the other way.
To go with his friends because
this was my time.
My time to be away.
Be with the Lord.
I was being selfish and did not
want this kid walking with me.
I needed to think.
I didn’t want to talk and try
to make out each word he was trying to tell me through my headphones.
This all sounds very harsh.
But this is what was going
through my head.
He began to speak to me.
I took out one headphone and
began to listen.
He asked my name.
I told him, “Grace”.
I put my headphone back in.
He then asked me, “Are you
going to start running?”
I laughed and told him I was
just going to walk today.
He then stopped walking with
me.
I then was relieved and began
to sing.
I then looped around and there
he was walking with me again.
I kept singing and I looked
straight ahead with a smile as this boy walked alongside of me staring at my
muzungu face.
I finally got out of my selfish
funk and looked him in the eye and smiled.
He told me he really like my
song.
The song I was singing.
I looked at him and was
thinking what is he talking about.
I don’t have a song.
He said, “ I have a song too.”
He began to sing a song in
Luganda.
The only words I could pick out
were Jesus, fire, and water.
He then wanted to continue
singing for as we walked down the strip.
There was something about this
little boys voice that intrigued me.
It drew me in.
It made me happy.
Joyful.
So much that I put my headphones
down and listened to him sing for the rest of my walk.
I remembered I had not asked
this little boy his name.
He told me his name was Stevie.
I asked Stevie if he enjoyed
singing.
He told me that’s what he
wanted to be when he got older.
A singer.
Stevie the Ugandan singer.
Oh, what an incredible singer
he will be.
He asked if I could come to his
school and listen to him sing these songs.
Listen to him sing songs about
Jesus.
Be apart of these songs with
him even if I didn’t know them.
Be united through the words of
the song.
By the Holy Spirit.
He was so excited about singing
in front of his school.
I think Stevie isn’t just
singing these songs, but living this song out.
I believe that God writes songs
for everyone.
We just have to find the song
and sing along with Him.
Be unified as one with our
Father and brothers and sisters with the song He has written for us all.
They are all different.
But the cool thing is when we
begin all sing our different songs that He has given us it becomes one
beautiful song.
The song that once was sung by
a soloist is now sung by a choir.
And the more the choir sings
their songs that become one the more people join.
The more people hear a
beautiful song they could never hear on the radio.
The more people are unified as
one body.
The more work gets down
throughout the nations for His glory!
We should all be more like my
friend Stevie.
A boy who is not afraid to sing
his song for people, especially crazy muzungu’s like me.
A boy who sings his song with
pride and boldness.
A boy who is anxious to share
his song with people at his school.
I will be seeing Stevie again.
He told me he wanted to always
walk with me when I go out on the airstrip.
I now look forward to each walk
with him.
I look forward to his beautiful
song he will sing for me, and learn more about my Hevaenly Father through him.
Little did I know I do have a
song of my own.
And it is there, I now just
have to see it more clearly and be willing to share it.
So when I open my eyes and ears
to see and hear my song I will share it with Stevie.
I pray that is soon.
So what is your song?
Have you joined the choir, or
are you just watching the choir sing?
Lets all be apart of the choir!
Who wouldn’t want to be apart
of that!
The joy, oh the unspeakable joy
the Lord gives when we are all unified singing His praises and name!
Thank you, Jesus for giving me
a new friend yesterday.
Thank you for Stevie.
The boy who showed me his song
you gave him.
The beauty from Stevie’s song
was comforting.
