“Just as spring’s role is different from that of Fall, so each of the seasons of our lives have a different emphasis, focus, and beauty” (Joshua Harris). I stumbled upon this quote while reading a year ago and it has always stuck with me. Now, as I am preparing to embark upon this new chapter in my life, it encourages me to accept change and look for the beauty in it. It seems every aspect of my life is being altered and as unsettling as it may seem, I know it is for the better. I must hold strongly to the promises of the Lord in Jeremiah. He says his plans are “to prosper you and not to harm you… to give you a hope and a future”.
It always amazes me that even days when I wake up consumed with my own plans or thoughts for the day, God subtly reveals Himself to me in a quiet voice to regain my attention. How incredibly cool, this mighty, Holy God who does not need me to show his glory, seeks me and desires me. This happened just today. As I woke up, rushed to get ready, and met an incredibly awesome woman for lunch, I never once paused to talk to God. Yet as I approached the counter to pay for my food, the worker told me I had a free meal on my rewards card. As I hurried over to Starbucks to meet with my mentor/friend Katy Pope, I was offered a free cupcake from the barista. (Obviously I could not let a perfectly good peanut butter cupcake go to waste). As if this wasn’t enough, when I went to Liz’s house, she gave me leftover pizza. This all seems somewhat trivial I know but that’s the cool part. Although I did have money and could have bought food for myself, God provided for the entire day. God blessed me and revealed his loving nature to me despite the fact that I was undeserving. It is as if God was reminding me in a soft voice that he can provide in the menial things, therefore I can trust Him with the huge details in my life.
Although I originally planned today as a relaxing, quiet day, I am so thankful God had other plans in store. I was able to talk to wonderful women of God about the Lord’s faithfulness. As I sat at a small table in the middle of starbucks with Katy like I do every week, I was once again filled to the brim with encouragement. This truly is one of my favorite times of the week, to sit and soak up every ounce of wisdom and truth that flows from her mouth and apply it to my life. Through this relationship, I have come to realize the beauty in generational discipleship. There is something so beautiful and pure in sharing with a sister in Christ and being completely raw and honest. It is such a great source of accountability. The day continued as my incredibly awesome friend Meredith entered starbucks. She is as Godly and artsy as they come with a sense of humor beyond belief. We sat and talked about this crazy, awesome God that we serve, I was reminded yet again of how blessed I am to have such great friends. I decided to go with Meredith to the Middle School girls’ bible study. I cannot think of a more perfect way to end a day than to see these girls hungry for the Word and truly seeking after God. I could sit in a room all day listening to these girls talk about what they are learning in Philemon, how they wish to change their lives to better reflect the love of God to the people around them, and even their hilarious stories about their eventful day.
Clearly, my day was seemingly perfect, but I cannot help but taste the bitter sweetness as I realize in a few short weeks, I will be leaving this place and starting the next part of my journey. I cannot imagine my week without seeing the beautiful hearts of these girls, being able to invest in them, and knowing every detail of their lives. I selfishly want to hold on to my life here and continue being poured into by Godly mentors and investing into younger girls, but I know that in this new season that lies ahead, God has a plan and a purpose. Now, He is calling me to use every ounce of wisdom and encouragement I have received and pour it into other people’s lives as I lean on Him. As I reflect upon my friendships with these people, I cannot help but wonder if this is exactly how Jesus and his disciples shared life. The mere thought of eating dinner with Christ and having Him invest into me directly as we walked along to the next village or sat under the shade of a tree seems unfathomable. I only wonder what was running through their minds as they conversed with Jesus in the flesh. What a glorious thought to know that one day, I will be able to see my Savior face to face.
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