The great toilet flood of Costa Rica. I know, it’s an interesting start and sounds a little dramatic, but it was a real life situation. It all started the night we made it to Costa Rica. We hiked from the vans, crossed some wooden planks, crossed over some barbed wire, passed some horses, and walked into our cabin. It was there that our host said, “oh man, I thought they said they were going to fix the toilet”. We exchanged looks of shock and disbelief as we then watched as they scooped the water off the floor with a broom and dust pan. We had no more issues that night.
Then came Saturday morning. It was our sabbath, a day meant for complete rest, beside the pool, drinking a smoothie, and sleeping in. I was awakened to shocked exclamations and lots of flashlights at 4:45 AM…. As I sat up I saw that our entire cabin floor was covered in an inch or two of water. The whole cabin this time, not just the bathroom. There was water pouring from the toilet, we quickly got it to stop and then just stood there in the water looking at our wet things, and then we all just started laughing. Laughing at the situation in disbelief and surprise with no desire to cry and nothing to do but laugh. Then Victoria started sweeping the water out the door and we decided to do a round of thankfulness. This is a tradition our squad has had since training camp. We all go around and say something we’re thankful for.
We are told, “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” in Philippians 4:4. And in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 we are told, “rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Having this in mind we said we were thankful to wake up with breath in our lungs, some of our stuff was dry, our beds were dry, we have electricity and running water, and we weren’t alone.
Joy is something that has been a theme for this whole trip. We knew going in that there were going to be challenging moments, doing things we didn’t want to do, and decided that we were going to have joy all the time. It’s easy to find things to complain about, but it’s not fun to be grouchy and complain. As annoying as it can be, it’s much more fun to get over it and realize that life could be so much worse.
Yesterday we carried sheet metal and water logged wood planks up a a very large, very steep hill for an incredible ministry near us called “the Nest”. It would have been so easy to complain, but instead we decided to think about Jesus. He had been whipped, mocked, spit on, yelled at, and denied by his disciples. And yet, He carried the cross that would kill Him up a mountain on His own. While it was easy to feel bad for ourselves, we took a step back and chose joy instead. Choosing to be grateful that we weren’t beaten, whipped, mocked, spit on, and carrying a cross where would die. We were surrounded by our friends, grateful ministry hosts who made and served us lunch and coffee, and grateful locals who will cherish the buildings made from the materials we brought up.
So every time I think about complaining (or actually complain), I have decided to choose joy. To fill my heart and mind with the word of the Lord, and be joyful in all circumstances. Because life could be much worse. I have a roof over my head, a secure place to sleep, clothes to wear, good shoes, food to eat, people to cook for me, great friends, amazing ministry and work to do, and a life full of great family, friends, and work waiting for me at home. There’s really no reason to not be joyful.
