Abba might be one of my favorite words in the entire world. It connotes so much more than what Father, or Lord, could ever mean. Abba is Daddy, a tender, loving word intended to invoke feelings of deep appreciation, respect, and admiration. I think the fact that we get to call the King of the universe Abba is pretty special. To me, this is an invitation to open our eyes and see the multitude of ways our Abba delights in us. Because Abba carries such a significant meaning by way of a deep, personal, attachment, it means we can expect our Father to treat us this way. Translated to daily life, this means we get to look for all of the ways our Lord deserves to be called Abba.
For me, Abba has shown Himself in big ways here in Livingstone these past few weeks. Most notably, in fat cakes and long walks. Fat cakes are by far my favorite food in Zambia – they’re fried balls of dough, resembling a donut, and sold on every street corner (extremely dangerous). They’re good at any hour of the day, regardless of how hungry or full you might be. God didn’t have to provide these little morsels of heaven for my team and I, but He did, in abundance, because He’s our Abba. As I sat in church last Sunday, I was biting into my third fat cake of the day (no shame) and was struck by the bliss of my present situation. I was in a beautiful country, listening to the happiest chorus of churchgoers singing and clapping and stomping, on a day full of sunshine, while eating my new favorite food. Who am I to deserve a moment so full of contentment? That’s just it, I don’t deserve any of those things, but because of the Lord’s fundamental nature as a loving God, He delights to bring us joy. Therefore we delight in Him because He is Abba.
Another way Abba has shown up big time for me is in our many long walks. Before we left on this trip we were warned that “Africa time” is very real, and requires ample patience. Africa time means that relationships and conversations are prioritized over strict schedules, and it’s a really beautiful thing. Africa time also means that words like “hurry” and “rush” don’t exist. Ever. We walk many miles a day to get to ministry, and initially the fact that we didn’t speed walk to get there by our 9 am goal really threw me off. Then early last week, as we were walking home from soccer ministry my friend Bryan changed the way I look at walks. He’s twelve, and was talking about how he wanted to be a doctor for people with autism, and said, “If Jesus says yes, no man can say no”. And in that moment I realized the power of those walks. They are many minutes of uninterrupted time to talk to people, to pray, to soak in my surroundings. I have come to love our many walks, and know our Abba is smiling so big at the thought of how much his children take joy in His perfect plans. Abba is good, Abba is real, and Abba’s most precious gifts are offered to us every single day, just because He said so.
