Brazil Reflections

An Oasis in the Desert, by Rich Nichols

Originally appeared in The Cry: An Advocacy Journal of WMF, vol. 11, no. 4 (Winter 2005)

Our ball got trapped in the storm drain. The drain, full of dirt, trash, and other filthy muck, had now claimed as a victim the tennis ball we had been tossing around. The grate was shifted slightly to the side, and when the ball bounced over Raphael’s head, in it went. Chasing after it, he began digging his arm into the pile, but to no avail. It was too far down. He hesitated to let me help him, but realizing this was our only option of recovery, he insisted that he be involved. Grabbing him by his ankles, I slowly lowered him head-first down into the hole, Mission Impossible style. Reaching the ball, he grabbed it and was immediately hoisted out. Full of joy from the success and overwhelmed by what he was sure to be the highlight of his week, he deliberately threw the ball back into the gutter and said, “Let’s get it again.” We performed our acrobatics once more, and then I quickly covered the drain.

Like any 4-year-old boy, Raphael enjoys throwing, tossing or kicking the ball around. He, his 18-year-old mother and baby sister are some of our friends from the streets. They have lived off and on in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, since he was born, and we have developed a fairly close relationship. Despite the trials of being raised on the street – with the dangers of police, lack of food and shelter, and the constant influence of drugs – Raphael is full of life. He’s always excited to see us, and like any child, he loves to play, run around, or just color a picture.

The outlook of many of Raphael’s elder peers, however, is not quite as cheerful. Many, like his mother, are acutely aware of the reality and futility of their situation. Sadly many of them, who are offered few choices, often submit to the temptations around them. Many of my street friends from Rio harm their bodies in such blatant and horrible ways that I find myself questioning what God expects me to do for them and what hope they have for the future. They inhale paint thinner; use their money to buy drugs instead of food; steal; walk around barefoot with cuts, scrapes and bruises; fight with each other; spread diseases; argue and fight with the police, and are often thrown in prison.

It’s easy for me to blame them for their choices and argue they are not doing anything to improve their situation. But when I step back and evaluate my own life I realize how often in my sinful nature I live the same. Whenever I choose my own plans over God’s, I am rejecting the best that He has for me. When I refuse to submit to the life God has designed for me, I am just like the person addicted to drugs and alcohol and those who are involved in crime or prostitution. All of humanity is sinful and equally in need of the redemption of Christ and the purification of the Holy Spirit (Romans 3:23-24). In the midst of temptation we are called to submit to Christ who experienced ultimate human temptation and yet triumphed victoriously in obedience to the One who sent Him (Hebrews 4:15).

When Jesus was beginning His ministry, He went into the desert to pray and commune with His Father. During this time, the devil comes to tempt Christ with the very things that are weighing heavily upon His body, mind and soul at that time. Satan smoothly coaxes Jesus: Turn this stone into bread and satisfy your hunger; bow down and worship me, and I will make you king of this world; throw yourself from this high place and prove that God will protect His son (Luke 4:1-13 paraphrased). Jesus powerfully denies each temptation. Instead, He later replies, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me” (John 6:38). Christ understood His purpose and knew the detriment that sin is to our calling. Using strength from God and quoting Scripture, Jesus continues to follow the narrow path and avoid the consequences of sin. Even though the temptations of the desert challenge both Christ’s humanity and deity, we see Him finding sustenance in obedience to His Father.

In Rio, we are constantly hounded by those who have power over us and demand our submission. The police patrol the streets, direct traffic, pull vans and buses over to be searched. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been patted down and asked what a “gringo” is doing in this part of town. The federal police cause our headaches while they fumble over our visa documents, and yet we obediently wait in long lines and ask what we must do next. The customs agents at the airport dig through our belongings and then “destroy” (read “eat”) our prized pepperoni. The drug gangs who control the favelas (slums) of Rio demand their own type of unjust obedience. Their presence and rule throughout Rio are dangerous reminders of who’s in charge. In each situation, of course, we could resist, argue, and even fight back, but this lack of submission would only lead to more-severe problems.

Similarly, choosing to submit to worldly temptation over the direction of the Father has dire consequences. When the street kids submit to their temptation, they only strengthen the addiction that living on the streets brings. When I fail to seek my Father’s will, I am altering the plan God has for me to bring glory and honor to His name. If Christ had chosen to bow to Satan’s requests in the desert, our very salvation and God’s plan of redemption would have ceased to exist. As God calls us into obedience, quietly whispering His will to us, He is actually loudly declaring that His will brings blessing, honor and righteousness. God see us walking in the dark and dry wasteland of life and offers us the quenching cup of life. We are invited into the lush, green oasis of His goodness. He says, “I have what is best for you.”

The people of Israel, while in exile and flirting with false prophets, were called to obedience and told, “I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jacob wrestles with God and eventually receives blessing and a new name (Genesis 32:28). Peter continually tries to rush forward and carry out his own plan, but time after time Christ calls him into patient obedience, training him to be the leader of the early church (Matthew 16:18). We see that even the greatest characters of the Bible received blessing and prosperity only in submission to the will of God. He does not promise that our submission will be easy or not come with great sacrifice, but He does promise that His will restores our lives and that our obedience brings refreshment to our souls.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus counsels His disciples and gives them this ultimatum: “No man can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). Later He says, “Broad is the road that leads to destruction. But narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13b-14). We are given a choice with the understanding that the temptations are great and submission to God requires great sacrifice.

Throughout life, we are all faced with choices about education, marriage, and profession. More importantly, we are faced with choices of integrity, commitment, purity and obedience. We walk through the desert of life feeling isolated and overwhelmed, sometimes struggling with the difficulty of following God. Yet in the midst of our brokenness, when we reach our human limits, we find that we do not find strength in our own abilities, but through the power of the Holy Spirit and Christ who has already overcome all temptation (Hebrews 2:17-18).

When we yield to temptation, we are altering the purpose God has for our lives. However, through obedience we avoid those consequences and receive the blessing that God offers to all people. The beautiful thing is that God understands our temptation, and though His heart breaks at our sin, His patience endures and His love abounds. He sits with His arms open wide, drawing us toward Himself. In God’s unending grace, He waits for us to fall to our knees before His altar and submit to His sovereignty, allowing the victorious news of salvation to once again purify our hearts (Romans 5:20).

Why do I spend time playing ball with Raphael? It is not because I consider him a poor, hopeless little boy with a sad future in desperate need of my love and attention. It is because I enjoy his friendship. I also see my life and live in the realization that I am in need of God’s grace and forgiveness, as much, if not more, than my little friend.

Rich and his wife, Rebecca, live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They serve among street children and in the favela (slum community) where they live.

* The child’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.