There are no words. There are no words to express what I felt and what I saw these last two weeks, but I will try to explain it.
We had a team of 11 people; 6 of them went last year and 5 of them had never been before. I feel super blessed to have been able to serve alongside these people. It's obvious they mean a lot to you when you are actually emotional about leaving them and going your separate ways. After becoming acquainted at training camp, we arrived in Lisbon and jumped into action. We prepared for camp on Sunday, and the week flew by after that. It actually felt like it was just a day long. I could share with you every detail about camp, and I will post a Go-Pro video eventually, but instead, I'll just include 5 things to be taken away from this one. 1. Everyone deserves to be loved. The kids at camp are a large diverse group. Their age ranges, their backgrounds are different, but at their core, they are all the same. They just want love. I had 5 boys and 4 girls. The boys were crazy, rebellious and loud. The girls were serious, quiet and attentive. The contrast was a bit difficult to handle, but between the two I realized they all wanted to be loved, hugged, reassured and complimented. There were times where both boys and girls would come and put their arm around me or give me a high five. It made the hard times with the kids worth it. By the end of the week I learned to look past the moments where the kids drove me nuts and found the lovable side. 2. Language barriers don't matter. Last year in Portugal, I made a friend named Inès. She is so cute, and probably looks like my little sister. We played one on one every lunch period last year. This year, on the first day she came running up to me, and gave me a hug. This year, she knew my name without me telling her. She remembered me. That made my heart so happy. It made me happy because Inès is 8 or 9, she can't speak English. Rarely at all did she spit off phrases like "good" "Reyna is cool" "small Reyna", but we still were able to develop a relationship. This year, our relationship grew even more. On the last day, we played a 20 minute game of 1 on 1 with an imaginary ball. Yes, I said imaginary ball. She beat me 20 to 2 of course. It left me in awe of the things God can do. We can develop relationship through actions and not always through words. It is incredible. 3. The world is becoming more and more morally corrupt. This world needs constant prayer. Although camp was amazing, there were some crazy things happening throughout the week that the kids were a part of. Whether there were drug references, gang signs, lighters or fake powder, there were multiple instances for some certain kids to get in trouble this week. It reminded me that this world truly is falling apart, and Jesus truly is coming soon. We need to pray for the upcoming generations and for the world in general. Many don't know Jesus, or don't understand the whole concept and truth of the Gospel. It's never too late to make a difference. If praying for this world is the best we can do, then lets do it. 4. Respect others culture and value - it's not about you. I met some amazing people this week, and I understand that Portuguese culture isn't like American culture. I think that is half the beauty of being there. It truly made me think about myself and decisions I make or the things I do. 5. Live while you can, sleep doesn't matter. This was probably one of the most exhausting 12 days of my life, even worse than finals week. We had some very late nights and very early mornings, but I learned to take in the moments that we were in. We were able to experience so many moments and so much beauty in the short time we were there. I even woke up at 6 am to catch the sunrise on the last day. I think it's important to take advantage of being somewhere that you aren't adapted to. It's important to enjoy it, and live it up while you can before you cannot anymore. All in all, I'm emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted from this week. I already miss the friends and little pals I made. I miss our awesome ISF leaders and family, and I miss the opportunities that were presented to me in the time we had in Portugal. With the bonding, meals, walks, soccer game, and going away party that we were able to experience, I believe I walked away with a fresher perspective and very very full heart. Life is so much more than what see on a daily basis. I'm thankful & truly blessed once again to have been able to experience more of it. As we talked about before we left, God doesn't want us to be moved emotionally, but he wants us to be moved to action. I want to move and I'm looking forward to see what that action is supposed to look like. What an adventure. What a faithful God we serve. What a life.
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Arriving in Georgia Thursday morning left me uncertain of what to expect heading on this journey for a second time. We hopped off the plane and met up with the great staff of ISF. Regardless of a long first day, which included endless hours of training, God already began to show in marvelous ways.
1. Thursday evening, we participated in a worship and prayer time at the church. At this point I was still unsure of what I was feeling. There was excitement, a little bit of fear, a little bit of doubt and a whole lot of uncertainty with what we will experience this time around. Quickly, God showed me I don't need expectation. First of all, this trip is completely different than last year. Therefore, no expectation is a solid direction to go. I have been walking around the last few weeks thinking my life was finally figured out and that the plans for the future have come together, but I realize they'll never be set fully until we are in the moment with them. You all know I have a list of large dreams. Thursday night, God reminded me to quit thinking ahead and make peace in these moments. The verses he laid on my heart were those in 1 Corinthians 3. In verse 5 it is written, "....As the lord has assigned to each his task." If you go on to read the whole chapter, it discusses how even as Apollo and Paul we each have a purpose. It brought me to the conclusion: God doesn't need us, but he uses us. Last year one of the team leaders named Anna gave me this perspective, but it didn't settle with me until this week. I am excited to see how the Lord continues to exemplify that phrase over here. Of course I made the decision Thursday night to quit thinking about myself and just let the Lord use me. 2. Friday morning, we ventured out to Lake Alltuna, or something like that, to spend a solid amount of time in solitude. I LOVE solitude. The feels were amazing while sitting in nature talking to God, reflecting, and listening for anything that was going to come. You know i love analogies and images, so two came to mind. The first appeared as I saw a bright orange fishing bobber in the water. It was under water, exposed but not afloat. It reminded me a lot of myself. It was bright, as a bright light shining for Christ but it was sinking. I am assuming it was weighted down by some scum and weeds, which allowed it not be able to float as well as it once did! This image can reflect my life. I imagine myself weighed down by stress, sin, negativity, selfishness and fear to the point I have been close to if not completely sinking. Ya see, we aren't supposed to sink. We are supposed to float. God is holding our fishing pole and he is casting us out into unknown waters. With that, we do have a risk of falling in and sinking but when God holds the pole he can save us, he holds us up. I don't want to become an unattached bobber, because eventually that bright light will fade into the mixture of the world. I want to hold on to Gods fishing pole and i want to go and catch fish to come to him. That point Friday morning is where I said, "here I am, send me!" 3. Another image that appeared to me were rocks and foundations. I don't believe the word "foundation" has ever rubbed me the way it did on Friday morning at the lake. I received the same type of adrenaline that would result from solving a hard problem in Mrs. Taylor's high school math class. If your foundation is not in Christ then how can you ever be sturdy? It just hit me hard. I have mentioned it before, but there are times I do look for my worth in other things without comprehending it. I look for it in people, in reassurance, or in compliments. I have tried to find it in what I do or in successes and failures. I have also searched for it in my attitude, my actions, or my image of myself. Those never work and they can never satisfy. It is impossible to find eternal worth in everything previously listed. I realize why they call Christ our one foundation. The waves were crashing into the rocks on Friday morning and the rocks refused to move. Although overtime erosion will occur and those rocks will change, its an imperfect analogy of Christ's firm role in our lives. Everything else will be washed away. I believe we need to look at life in that regard. I need to recognize when I'm trying to stand on something that will quickly be washed away under my feet causing me to stumble, and recognize when I am standing on Christ's back, on His rock and foundation that will forever allow me to be still and safe. 4. Lastly, I have a confession. I am imperfect. I am broken and boy oh boy do I need Jesus. Brokenness is inevitable because we are born sinners. Thankfully we don't need to sit in our brokenness thanks to our savior! (Hey you know who, I am talking to you!) One thing I have realized is I have a hard time accepting praise and compliments, and I realize it is due to the fact that I feel unworthy; rather because I am unworthy. Jesus is worthy. The praise for That Girl on Fire should not go to me, it goes to God. The praise for a successful career in school does not go to me it goes to God. The praise for missions work doesn't go to me, it goes to God. I want to be obedient to the Lord's calling for my life, so I will do what He says even when I don't want to such as when I'm broken and when I feel unworthy. At my church, we believe in all gifts of the Spirit; therefore, last week a word from God was spoken saying, "Start fresh - it will be different this time." Those words have resided in my heart all week. I wrote a poem during quiet time: "I have a broken story. I've walked away and done things beyond God's glory I admit I have been prideful, selfish and filled with sin. You see that is where a new story can begin Its only when we are broken that we can be made whole; and it is only with God that we can let go. Ya see, God has forgiven me. He has made me new. So many times though, it feels too good to be true. I find in it all, beauty, ashes set ablaze. God instills in us a hope for a better day. This is no vow for you to hear of me, It is a confession, a proclamation of who I desire to be. I want to stop where I have been going and get into the car again. I want to hop in the taxi with Jesus and travel where there is no end. There is no doubt we are all broken and do some things wrong So this is my proclamation to sing a brand new song God said, "Give yourself to me, it'll be different this time." So here I am, on my knees "I am yours and You are mine." That poem is just a newly re-stated confession of my faith. As the Lord continues to lay on my heart what he wants my future to look like, I want nothing more than to travel in the right direction and stay obedient. By the time you read this, we will have landed in Lisbon, finally able to get some rest on land and prepare for an incredible week of camp ahead! Yes, It will be different this time. However, I guarantee, it will be just as beautiful because when you trust God is holding your fishing pole or when the foundation you stand on is Christ alone, or when you know God is the only worthy one, it is beautiful. Life is so beautiful. I am thankful for the opportunities presented before me and for the work God has already begun in and through me in the first 2 days of this trip. I am so blessed and utterly "pumped" to be able to serve in Lisbon a second time around. God is too good, and I want to thank YOU for your prayers, support and riding along with me in this fun flight of life. "The longest flight of your life is life itself" - Ancient Proverb (just kidding, wise words declared at training camp) When you read the bible you'll see that Jesus even spent 40 days alone, praying and fasting for The Lord. This summer I've realized how important alone time is with God and I realized I don't do it enough. For the next week, until the plane is up towards Portugal I'll be "unplugged" from all forms of social media. I hope to spend at least 1-2 hours a day in the word and praying with the rest of the time embracing the moments and preparing my life for what's to come! Three things that I hope to come out of it: 1. Preparing my heart for what God is about to do on this trip. 2. Spending quality time with my friends and family. 3. Enjoying solitude, when I have solitude I'm pretty excited because starting Monday I get 3 days to travel around Michigan and see some of my friends before I leave! It'll be great! In the meantime I'll still be able to text and call people, but for now I know that my focus needs to be on The Lord and what's to come in the upcoming weeks - so that is what I will do. If you want to stay in the loop of our trip! I'll try to be blogging a few times. Until then, I'm unplugging y'all. And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) - Mark 6:31 God is faithful.
My heart is just super full. I know when I started this blog last summer - not only was it to reach others but also it was a type of accountability to myself to remind myself to stay faithful. This summer, I have realized I need to be more faithful and the last few weeks, God has done some incredible things in my life. Back in the winter I had a vision of changing the lives of teenage girls. I've been blessed to work with a ton of middle school and high school girls through the years, after I graduated High School. Honestly, they have been some of the most important people in my life. Seeing them grow up, I realized that I want to see them grow positively with self-confidence, not conforming to the lies that society throws at us daily. I started a group called 'That Girl, On Fire.' We meet each week, discuss life topics as well hang out and share. Each night my goal is for them to leave empowered with a good attitude and better understanding of themselves or how they want to live this life! Anyways, the things that are happening through this group is changing my life too. I can just feel the movement and the goodness that has come from it. It makes each week WAY worth it. If you know any teenage girls - this is my plug! Tell them to come!!! On top of this group, I've been preparing my heart for my upcoming mission trip to Portugal. I leave in a little over a week. The funds have taken a while to come in, however this last weekend I was blessed to know that everything would in fact be taken care of. I was overwhelmed and just so thankful. Lastly, this last week I realized the opportunity to head to Haiti in December. Lately, I've felt specifically called to serve in a third-world country, so when I saw this, I was in bit of a shock. Some might think that these trips are for myself, but I'll tell you I would not go somewhere at Christmas time unless I felt led by the Lord. My friend even said, "Christmas is your thing, man." and it's the truth, I live for that holiday! It might be difficult for me to take off before Christmas, but I guarantee there is a reason I'm being called there. I told myself I wouldn't think about it and if I was supposed to go, God would provide. Well folks, God showed up in huge ways and I am for sure planning to serve in Haiti at the end of the year. If there is anything I've learned this summer, it's that God is very much alive and powerful even when we can't see it, even when we don't believe it. If we just keep His best interests in our mind, His plans for us are larger than we could ever imagine. So, be encouraged. If you are struggling or unsure where God is in your life or what you should be doing, I encourage you to just keep your eyes on the Lord and if you feel led to do something, do it. If I think back to 18 year old me, I would tell you I'm going to play college basketball and that's that. Although I love basketball, I laugh at that dream now because I'm so thankful God had so many other plans in mind. I have so many dreams, and I'm not quite sure where this life will take me, but wherever it is I'm going - I want to serve the Lord and I want to stay faithful because you know very well God is faithful. My heart is so full! Side note: Please be praying for myself and my team these upcoming weeks as we prepare serve in Portugal. Last summer, we started some great things and we will continue to show the light of Christ over there in Lisbon. You know, faithfulness leads to righteousness and there is nothing I want more this month than to see some Portuguese lives changed for the good of the Lord! During my whole time being a Christian thus far, I have struggled to fully grasp Love in the correct sense. At least, I didn’t understand it in the way that we were meant to understand it. However, It's probably impossible to understand it, until we actually experience the Lord face to face. This is kind of a funny story, but I remember the first time telling someone other than my parents that I love them. It was actually really weird and I was scared! I wrote it in the bottom corner of a note that I wrote to some person. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to say or write, but I just had to tell them. I remember the feeling, and that’s what we think love is though. It’s some feeling you get. Ya know what the truth is, Love is not that feeling. Love is not a feeling. What is love then? I’ll give you what my idea is. God is love. The perfect example of this love is through marriage. I believe marriage was created to represent God’s relationship He has with the church, and the love he has for it, which is us. Within the last month, I've seen some amazing couples get married. First, Jake and Leah Westra I would say from the outside are the perfect picture of what love should look like. They are humble, they are kind, and represent very well what God created love for. If you were to see them together you would know they care for each other and you would know that at any moment either of them would put themselves above the other. I actually read something that said “ you were just married but you probably already disagreed on something and that is who loves each other more” I have no doubts that their marriage is going to be exactly what the Lord wants and more. They are selfless, they care and they are devoted to the church. It’s incredible. Secondly, I got to see the Tim and Autumn DeSilva get married on the shore of Lake Michigan. You could tell these two were in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together. As Tim's face lit up and he let out a 'dang' when Autumn walked down the aisle, it was obvious the passion they had for one another. Their vows were straight from the heart, and as they said 'I do' their lives were totally complete. That moment was awesome! Now if you think of these marriages, you understand I said how on fire they were for each other or the love that was in their eyes when they were together. The love God wants isn't a feeling, but it's this fire in our eyes always. The love he wants is devotional and unconditional. The "I'll do anything for you even when I don't 'feel' like it love" I have trouble imagining fully the love that Christ has for us, so when I think of Christ's love in an analogical sense, I think of someone who is living a good life, driving down the road, and all the sudden they get hit. And After they get hit (sin), they are never the same person again. But Christ loves them anyway and decided to look past the car accident (mistake) and love them the same as before. It's the same with us, we must love people in the same unconditional way. Love doesn't change when a person does. Unconditional means without condition, above circumstance, through the ups and downs. Sometimes love will result in a feeling, Love makes us happy - that's a feeling. but we can't let everlasting love be based on happiness. If we were always happy, we wouldn't need love. It's God’s love that will last forever. It’s the matter of laying yourself down for the sake of another. It's a matter of obeying the Lord and living righteously. Love is not about what will make you happiest or what makes you feel good. It's putting your life down for another. Honestly, when we think about it, Love is beautiful. Love is what caused Jesus to carry the cross, and die for us. Love is God sending Jesus to earth for us. Love is a simple thing in a complex world if we do it right. It's work, but it's what we were called to do. I met a guy this week at my job, he is turning 80 and told me all about his party he is throwing. Then he started telling me about his wife. He told me a lot of stories, but the last one stuck out the most because he said, "I made a welcome home sign, but she never came home. She died 8 years ago and I miss her everyday." That broke my heart, but it also helped me understand love. Jesus has a welcome home sign waiting for us. It's because of his love that this could happen. So Love is making welcome home signs. It is: In the face of the people that I love In the smiles of a random stranger In an encouraging text message/note or letter In a good day spent with a friend In a bar of chocolate In an ice cream cone In a happy song In a hot air balloon in a cloudy sky In a rainbow after a storm In a glass of ice cold water In the joy we feel through broken moments In the peace we feel through anxious moments In a joyful puppy A happy baby In a moment of forgiveness On rainy days In nature Through so many different people Through a child playing with his father. (These are just some random thoughts I came up with) Sometimes, I myself don't think I love the Lord enough, because if Love really is what we need to do, then it is hard work, and sometimes we will fall short in this purest form of love. Sure we will, but that doesn't give us a right to just stop loving in its entirety. Even the bible says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who doesn't love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8 or "The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30 Let me put it this way, I think the image of Love in the world today has become distorted. I might like an ice cream because it tastes good and makes me happy, but I don't love it because It's not going to satisfy me for the rest of my life. We are looking for Love in momentary satisfaction. Love wasn't created for a short satisfaction. It was created because that's what our whole being is based off of, for an everlasting life! Marriage (a pure, true marriage in the right way) is just a worldly love representing God's love on a lesser scale. So folks, love is amazing. And ya know what, I'm going to love people no matter what they believe or who they are or what they do. If we don't love them, they will never see Christ. Sure, I think marriage is just a small glimpse of the true love we get to experience when we meet the Lord face to face. At that moment, these words will mean nothing because you'll experience that love and understand why God is love after all. I know for my friends who were just married, faithfully following God and faithfully following each other, they have thus far seen the greatest love and they show us the greatest love. I sure do love their love! So, If I can, I would say yes, LOVE WINS. God's Love wins. (Jake and Leah Westra) (Autumn and Tim DeSilva)
I don't own rights to these photos, just want you to see their love! For those of you who do not know, I had minor knee surgery at the end of May. It was an arthroscopic procedure which resulted in them taking care of a torn meniscus and taking out some random tissue that highly resembled a spider web. (The pictures were very cool!) I didn't see this as a big deal because I have had friends with ACL repair surgery and that is much more intense. However, my recovery is still 4-6 weeks out and It has been hard for me to not be active or do normal things. I was pretty discouraged over the weekend with the pain and my inability to be 'normal'. It was causing me difficulty. But listen to this story....!
Sunday night I was at a college age small group - if you are in the area and want to attend this, I recommend it! It was a rough day for the knee, and I was tired of it! I spend the night icing my leg around the campfire and conversing with my friends, and at the end of the night, my friend wanted to pray for me. I didn't want him to, because like I said, It wasn't that big of deal. But he prayed anyway... Like any healing prayer, you are encouraged to try it out afterwards, and so I stood up AND IT WAS LIKE I DIDNT EVEN HAVE SURGERY. I felt normal. I kid you not, I moved that thing pain free, and there was no sign of swelling affecting it! (I wanted to run and jump but I refrained) It felt completely normal. I took normal steps, it had full bend, and I even walked successfully up the Harper Hill! (If you know the Harper hill and are familiar with the steps, it's not always easy!) It was incredible, I don't know how to explain to you the joy I felt. We kept praying, we kept worshipping, and I was so so so hyped up. I was so incredibly pumped!! It was then that I feel I caught my actual glimpse of how powerful prayer truly is and how faithful our Lord is. At that point in time, I quite frankly needed something. I needed a sign that God has been listening and that He answers prayer and I GOT BOTH respectively. After that high had subsided, which wasn't really until Monday, I was able to think about what happened in a different way. I told my friend after the experience that it is a reminder, not only to me but to others that prayer works, God is healing and we must remain faithful! I hope this story can encourage you to know that whether its a small knee or a huge obstacle, God is here, He is faithful, He is healing, and Prayer is Powerful!! SO COOL! Though my knee still has time to heal, the pain and swelling hasn't been the same and I've felt more confident in the process. It's been incredible, and I'm thankful to know that His hand is at work in my life, and surely, His hand is at work in your life too!! The amount of life I have lived and the lessons I have learned since my last post has been quite ridiculous. I could talk about a lot and tell you what I've learned but I think I can sum it up by giving you a text that I sent to my dad part way through finals week.. "I think I need to take this school thing more seriously." "Why, what's going on?" "I just think I can try harder, because all I really care about are people." This was a legit conversation that ended in me being mind blown by dad's wisdom, so tonight, naturally, rather than starting my summer class homework, I started thinking about people. And It is mind boggling yet ridiculous to me how we can love someone more than we love ourselves. I don't mean loving ourselves in a selfish or prideful way, but just plainly accepting ourselves for who we are. We find it so easy to accept other people but we find it hard to accept ourselves. It's weird. Life is weird. (I've been saying that a lot more often lately.) What I have noticed: People love to point out flaws and problems with themselves. "I'm too fat, too skinny, I'm so ugly, look at my pimples. I I'm not tan enough. I don't have that good of a life; I wish I could look like that. I want to live like that." Hearing these beliefs make me sick because you know as well as I do, they are never true. What I have wanted to learn: One of my biggest goals within this last year was to love people more. I wanted to quit judging people, and placing labels on someone I had never met. (ask me about my trip to Florida with 20 strangers, just kidding, that was truly great!) I felt like I typically struggled with associating myself with people unlike me; It was hard. I found myself being judgmental and ultimately shutting people off. I found myself thinking I was better than people - and I'm not one bit above anyone for any reason! I wanted to change that mindset. That was my goal, and I think slowly but surely God is showing me how to do that. What I'm learning: If we can love ourselves for who we are, how much easier is it for us to love other for who they are. The second we accept ourselves we find it easier to accept others. (Check out this perfect advice by Colbie Caillat!!!) It's sad. We are wonderfully created, we are so so so special. I watched this video by Louie Giglio once that just blew my mind. (https://youtu.be/PtpTk2ENq7o watch it sometime!!!) It allowed me to understand just how detailed we were created to be. We are children of God. We were stitched together to be us. I personally like to think that my curly hair was just like thrown together because God had to make my brother and sister so there wasn't much time (Okay, totally kidding, I just thought of that, but I thought it was a funny thought) We are all unique. We all walk differently, talk differently, look differently and act differently because we were all made differently. We were made to be ourselves! We all bring something different to this table of life! And I love that concept. I love that about the people I meet. I love that every human I have brings something different to my life. So why do we find it so hard to accept that role for our own lives. I have come to this realization that media, internet, and people have been conditioned to see a specific image as the perfect person. BREAKING NEWS!!!: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT PERSON. WE ARE ALL PERFECT BECAUSE GOD CREATED US. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before but I will say it again, if we were perfect we wouldn't have needed Jesus. (Shout-out to Jasmine Harper for that quote: www.fuerzablog.weebly.com) JESUS IS PERFECT. I'm pretty sure thats how it goes and the sooner we can realize that and grasp that in its full beauty, the easier it will be for us to accept ourselves and others in their true beauty too. I love it so much. Now what?: I can tell you until I'm blue in the face how wonderful you are and how important it is to be proud of yourself. I could tell you how much Jesus loves you and how much I love you, but that won't necessarily help you love you. 1. I encourage you to find at least one thing a day that makes you proud of being who you are. Quit looking discreetly at the negative things. Sure, there is always something we could change about ourselves, but don't focus on that! Focus on something you wouldn't want to change. I love compliments and affirmation. 2. Go compliment others, and compliment yourself. If someone says "nice hair." Then by golly GO LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR AND TELL YOURSELF "WOW I HAVE REALLY NICE HAIR." 3. Open the bible, read about God's promises to you and bring yourself to understand a little more why this guy named Jesus died for you and why this creator called God made you. Learn about your importance, and come to understand your incredibleness on this earth. 4. Find the people in your life that make you feel good about yourself. Find the people that help you love yourself for who you are and the ones who don't force you to be something or someone you are not. Surround yourself with those people. Spend time with them, learn from them, and most importantly listen to them. With that being said. I'm so thankful for my people. The people I have come to love and learn from. I am so thankful for the people in my life who have shown me that it's completely okay to not be normal (What is normal anyway). I am thankful for the ones who show that it is okay to be completely different than the image created by the world to be the image created by God. 💥 I am thankful for people of all races, and I am thankful for people of all nationalities. I am thankful for Canadians, I am thankful for rich people, and I am thankful for poor people. I am thankful for those still living and I am thankful for those who aren't physically with us anymore. I am thankful for those who don't share my beliefs, and I am thankful for those who share or accept my beliefs. I am thankful for people of all shapes, sizes, and ages. I am thankful for weak people and I am thankful for strong people. I am thankful for red heads, and I am thankful for blonde heads. I am thankful for those who love watermelon and I am thankful for those who hate it. I am thankful for fellow teacher people and I am thankful for those who study science, psychology or even Shakespeare (took a while to come to terms with that one) (My point is we are all have differences and that's so stinkin' awesome) Literally, without any of these people life would not be what it is, and we wouldn't be who we are. I think it is important to be who you are because that's all you'll ever be, and no matter how hard you try, you can't really change you from being you. Therefore, rather than taking school more seriously (Don't worry I have good grades) I want to take what I have learned in life, and I want to love more people because of it. If I could have one thing in this life, It wouldn't be to win a nobel prize or get an A on a paper (as cool as that would be for once at SAU), it would be a wish for people to see themselves the way I see them. Maybe then, people could understand how special, how beautiful and how important they really are regardless of how they see themselves. As Bruno Mars would says, "You are amazing, just the way you are." Go out and love people. Go out and look for the true beauty in people, and go out to look for the true beauty in yourself. I promise you, if you are reading this or if you aren't reading this- You are Beautiful. In light of this post, here is my spoken word that I presented to the student body at Spring Arbor University in the beginning of May. As you can tell, this topic has been on my heart for some time. Quite frankly it's true; I just love people. Dear girl, Laying in the chair today at the salon the lady was getting ready for the first pull and I always anticipate the pain. Eyebrow waxes hurt! Everytime, I always convince myself it was a bad idea and I should have prepared myself better for the pain that was about to occur. Two thoughts came to mind today in those short moments... The first is that what if Jesus waxed my eyebrows and the second was I am enough and I dont really need my eyebrows waxed; I just need Jesus. Seriously, think about it, there would be no pain, with Jesus' hand on your face. I bet that waxing would give the most joy I could've ever felt on this earth. Imagine Jesus just touching your face and saying "eyebrow be gone" hahaha. But in all honesty this kind of reminded me of Jesus' coming back. What if we were sitting at home and Jesus showed up at our door, would we be ready for him to take us home or would we be sitting there, telling ourselves we aren't ready or I should've prepared better for whatever is about to happen. Because if we would've prepared better we wouldn't feel as much pain. I'm not saying that we will feel any pain when Jesus returns. But we will if we aren't right with God and aren't going to heaven for sure. How can we prepare? Some ways include repenting, asking for forgiveness, reading your bible, praying, worshiping, thanking God for your life and counting your blessings. You can Stay faithful through the hardships and humble in the victories. If you don't think you're ready to have your eyebrows waxed by Jesus then it's never too late to start preparing. And I know a number of people, me included, that would be willing to help you through that process. You might be nervous because you're afraid of the pain, but I promise if you prepare you won't ever be hurt! Our God is a powerful, saving, unconditionally loving, all knowing, fearless, forgiving and gracious God. He wants us to prepare he doesn't want us to be afraid and doesn't want us to hurt. When we hurt, he hurts. So when you get your eyebrows waxed, don't anticipate pain, don't wonder what would've happened if you actually did prepare for the intial pull. Start preparing now, and it all starts with getting your heart right with God, and accepting Jesus as your Lord in Savior. Someday I want to get my eybrows waxed by Jesus, and whenever that may be, I want to be ready and I hope you do too! So while you wait in your chair for that pull, I encourage you to prepare yourself, do what you need to do to have peace and always be ready because kind of like an eyebrow wax, you never know when it or in this case, He, is coming. One thing that has been on my mind a significant amount lately: there is a reason light travels the fastest. You’re probably thinking, duh. We can relate it to the word of God and Christian Life – trust me. Here is what some of my scientific research has stated: Because light (a photon) has no mass; no matter how small the amount of energy you give it, it will run away as fast as possible. And with light – time isn’t a factor. Speed of light is constant. The Love of God is constant and we are called to be the light of the world. Therefore we must be constant in our Christlike actions too. (Without time being a factor 😉)
Here are a few things light can do: dissipate the darkness attract repel Show true colors Halt things Fade things Dry things Burn Provide power Make things grow Brighten our mood Indicate understanding Used in photography and xerography Allow inspections Inspire art Serve as a warning Signal a new day
I’m not a scientific type of person but when I thought about this it made my mind explode. As you know, we are called to be God’s disciples; we were called to go out into earth and spread the gospel to all nations (The Great Commission), there is a reason God called us “light of the world”, and the way God created light to be one of the most powerful, significant, and versatile things in this universe because He IS the light.
So, what are we doing when we don't let our lights shine? If we are the called to be the light in the world, we technically have the power to shine, quickly and brightly. Our light should be able to illuminate above all things. Actually, God’s light will illuminate above all things! We are more like a candleholder or lamp stand. We have this light inside of us ridiculously ready to burst and shine; it gives the ability to raise Jesus above all and bring Glory to His name.
Although, I feel like most of the time we become afraid. It’s like in the movie, Coach Carter, it’s our light not darkness that most frightens us. We can’t be afraid to hold back our lights. Because when we do let them shine, it gives others the confidence to shine with us. I think this is why Revivals are so amazing. The second one-person shines – many others feel the confidence and courage to shine too and then eventually everyone is preaching Jesus, praising him, and the radiance is extraordinary.
I had an opportunity last night to pray for a girl I have never met before and actually still do not even know. Her name was Becca. If you know her, give her a shout out for me. Becca has big dreams, and she wanted to feel equipped with what she needed to do to reach those dreams and asked that God would give her what she needs to allow her to reach them. I’ll be honest it took A LOT of courage to go and ask Becca if I could pray for her. I know I’m called to be light in the world, so why am I afraid to let it shine? That’s a worldly thought! The thought that someone might try to turn the light off, that they might judge us for shining are not good thoughts. GOD CALLED US TO BE LIGHT - no matter the cost. This was what encouraged me about Becca. I saw the light and faith in Becca and it encouraged me to want to shine brighter too. When we shine light into other’s lives, the affect it can have to allow others to shine is huge! My conclusion is this: God is the light of all lights - light is fastest because God is always by our side, and It is constant because God can never stop loving us. God has really shown me that I need more courage. That shining his light is important, and we must not be afraid. We must be confident in him. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
One way to look at it in regards to becoming who God has called us to be, is that the more darkness, the more difference the weakest light will make. Have you ever thought about that? Even if we most dimly shine, we are still shining. When we don't have much to offer, God still uses us! Staying in the light causes our dark thoughts and others to be stomped under the wonderful light of Christ.
Maybe Becca had darkness creeping in, maybe she needed some light, and so I tried my best to travel quickly. But I’m not trying to toot my own horn here. I just know that we were called to do more than sit in the darkness and let it control us. Let your light shine. Please, have Courage. Do Not Be Afraid. Would you rather spend life in light or darkness? In the end of our lives we will more likely be remembered for the light we shared rather than any darkness we could've been a part of. So, this light, it's not electricity I’m talking about. This light we have is as genuine as the sunshine. Anyone can be manufactured and plugged in (like electricity), but our light we hold inside comes from above, and it is always shining. It’s like what a sunrise gives to a new day: hope, happiness, faith, and peace. We are called to take that to the world and BE the Light. .
My prayer is that whoever reads this is encouraged to be light to the world that they are called to be. Have the courage to make a difference for Christ, and when you see darkness around you, travel quickly to shine bright and illuminate Christ with joy in your heart. May we all share the Gospel and impact lives according to His will and for His Glory.
Ephesians 5:8 "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light"
Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Revelation 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
And I hope you never look at light the same. |