Degaje

There's a term that's used in Haiti as a way of life- Degaje! It means, "make do." Take what you have and make the best of it. In Haiti this is not only a way of life, but a necessity. It eases the tensions of things going wrong, vehicles breaking down, running out of gas, not having milk for the kids. It's woven into the fabric of a country that has very little and so they simply make do. Degaje. It has been frustrating to me, as an American, to go to Haiti and live under this lifestyle credo, but it was eye opening as well. The whole team I traveled with had to relax and simply let things go the way they had to go....degaje! It would be wonderful if we let a little degaje creep into our lives.....if we let God change our plans and we are "ok" with it. It would be great if we could enjoy the wonderful guidance and care of God to provide what we need instead of what we want. We might want a pond to swim in, but a cup will do. We might want a dinner of meat and potatoes, but rice would nourish us just as well. We might want new slacks and a shirt, but what we have is perfectly fine. Could a little Haitian "degaje" be healthy for us? I think it might.