Today was World Water Day. As the day comes to a close I hold close to my heart the people living, working, walking, playing, praying on the Nicaraguan ground that the rock in this photo comes from. The people who still do not have clean water to drink. It has been two years since our visit. Two years since the ground refused to free the simple yet life-giving source trapped underneath. Under the rock is a photo of the community that we were able to bring clean water to. The ground was soft, ready to give. Yet, I see God more in our failure in Lomas del Pansillo than in the water bursting forth from the well we built in Los Carmones. For I know that in His perfect timing His glory will be revealed through that land, through those people, through us in the most undeniable way, so that we may never forget what He has done. He loves us. Standing on that rocky ground was where He showed me the depth of that love. It's unmistakable. It completely transforms you even when you already thought you've been transformed by it. So I will hold on to hope and onto Jesus' challenge to us in John 11:40 [Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”]. I have believed. I have seen. So I shall continue. *For more background on the trip, check out my post about it on my old blog here. It's a little long, but so well-written and worth reading ;)
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As soon as I feel like I have my faith all figured out Jesus goes ahead and wrecks me once again.
I've been thinking about Jesus a lot lately. I mean of course as a Christ-follower I'm always thinking of him and how to imitate him better. But recently I've been wrestling with how Jesus was able to leave the people that he loved and move on to the next place he had to go. I guess because he knew that soon he would, as promised, live in each and every one of them for the rest of their lives. It's not the same for us though. If you're in a role that concerns building meaningful relationships with others, you know that moving on from them is not easy. In order to fill your role well you must support people, shape them, encourage them - essentially, you must love them well. To the very best of your ability. If you're striving to love them as Jesus does then that investment you've made is not an easy one to detach yourself from. People keep asking me what I want for my birthday. Well, I want a new car, I want to win the lottery, I want a job that doesn't stress me out, I want free gel manicures every 2 weeks, I want my student loans to not exist, I want this stupid book I'm trying to write to write itself, I want at least three new dresses for spring/summer, I want to go back to Nicaragua, and I want to be able to full snatch more than 75 pounds.
How silly and privileged that all sounds when I actually acknowledge it. There are people all over the world who's wants are clean drinking water and a good education while I sit here wanting to add more unnecessary stuff to my life. I've been thinking a lot lately about purpose and giftings. Maybe it's because most people around me who are my age are still trying to "find" theirs, whatever that means.
Anyone else feel strange that we talk about our God-given gifts and purpose as something we need to find? If we are trying to find something that usually means that we either lost it, or we didn't have it in the first place. Yet, if we truly believe that our gifts and purpose are God-given or "innately within us" (if you haven't jumped on the Jesus-following train yet), then that must mean that we don't have something to "find" we just have something that we need to be brave enough to take hold of and actually use. |
Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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