Saturday, April 21, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Indescribable
I miss it. I miss Spain. I'm just going to go ahead and admit it. I feel so distracted. And I'm hoping that by writing in my blog that I will be able to better concentrate. Anyway, Spain... was amazing. I could not have imagined what it would have been like. It was absolutely fantastic. I do not think that I could adequately describe that experience at all. I just don't think that it would do it justice. The people over there just touched my heart in a way that I don't think I was prepared for. Walking the streets, riding the train, the bus, it was all a new experience for me. I would look into the faces of these people and they just seemed like they needed hope, a reason to smile. It just broke my heart. I am most definitely a smiling person. And to smile at people and them not smile back was an interesting experience that I was not prepared for. It's one of those cultural things. But it still really got me to thinking. I just want to gather all of these people and just tell them the good news that Jesus loves them. I was overwhelmed with a heart and a passion for the Spanish people. As well as the covered women. I really wish that I could describe that feeling of the moment that I looked around and the look on the faces of the people that I saw... the best way I know to describe it was that my heart was broken. Because I was 90% sure that those people didn't know the Lord. Didn't know the joy I had in Christ. Didn't know the promise that no matter what happened, I would have the assurance of the Lord on my side. And my heart, it felt heavy. I still get teary-eyed just thinking about it. All I could think was I hope that they will get to experience the love of Christ.
And okay, I'll admit. Every time I would try to pass out a dvd and got a rejection, it would hurt my heart. Because they rejected the news that radically changed my life. They rejected the only love I know that is truly unconditional. The greatest love I will ever know or experience. I wanted and still want that for them. I want them to realize that there is a God that loves them so passionately, so fully that it will set them free. It will not be bound by rules and regulations. It will not be bound by cultural boundaries. It will not be bound by anything. It will know no limits. I want them to know that they have a God that cares about them enough to have His only Son come to earth to live a sinless life, only to die in their place, carrying all of their sins with Him. A God that has plans for them. Plans that He says in His Word that are for us to prosper, to give us a reason to hope and have peace (I did paraphrase a little there but you get the point). I cannot describe the sinking feeling that I had when I realized that some of them will never experience that kind of perfect love. The only one that can cast out all fear.
It was an interesting experience. Here in America and more specifically South Carolina, we are in the Bible belt. Most have heard the Gospel. Most have either accepted or rejected already. Some attend church regularly. It is definitely different to go to a country where they are spiritually in the dark for the most part. Most of Spain is dominated by catholicism. Save for the N. African immigrants that now live there & are muslim. And the younger generations that have rejected catholicism and it's legalistic practices. They have seen how corrupt the church is. And they fail to focus on the love of Christ. That personal relationship that we can have with Him if we just accept Him. I just wanted everyone to accept Him and it be done. But God is so gracious in that He gives us a choice to accept or reject Him. And I had to realize that nothing that I could possibly do could make them accept Him. I can obey the call to go and plant the seed. But at the end of the day, that's what He has called me to do. And that's what I would and did do. And even though we did not see any professions of faith, I definitely could feel the hand of the Lord in everything we did that week. Every dvd that we handed out, every invitation, every soccer game, every child, adult, teen that we interacted with was all for His glory. And He will do with it what He wants. We just have to be willing to go. We have to be willing to answer when He is calling. It is our responsibility to use the gifts and talents that He has given us. That was definitely encouraging. All we have to do is what He says and He takes care of the rest.
I believe that it is Paul that writes something to the effect of "I do not boast in myself but my boast is in the Lord." He is a most holy and gracious God. And it is only by His grace, not of myself but through Him that I am able to live with hope. He is the reason that I was able to make it to Spain. It was through Him that I was not worried about how the money would come, I was not held down by uncertainty. It is through Him that I was able to boldly proclaim His love. It is through Him that we were able to hand out all of those dvd's and invitations after rejections came our way. I most definitely believe that God put our team together and chose us all individually to go to Spain. I believe with all of my heart that not a better team could have been chosen because we all answered His calling. It is because of Him that I am able to tell you all about my journey and the opportunity that I was blessed with to go to Spain.
I will always remember this trip. And I hope that one day I will be blessed with the opportunity to return. Only time will tell what the Lord has in store for me. And I cannot wait to see what that is. I also want to challenge you. If you feel a calling to go whether it be to a foreign country where you don't know the language, or whether it is answering the call to share Christ with a coworker, to do it. I know that it is hard. And I know that I get scared sometimes, I'm not perfect. But strength comes from Him. He will give you the words to say. They aren't rejecting you. As hard as it is, we always have that assurance that He is with us. That's always a great comfort. Let's be difference makers in a world that desperately needs His love, His grace, and His hope.
Also, if you want to know other random facts about Spain, I shall post another blog about random things that we encountered in Spain if so desired. I love you guys! :)
And okay, I'll admit. Every time I would try to pass out a dvd and got a rejection, it would hurt my heart. Because they rejected the news that radically changed my life. They rejected the only love I know that is truly unconditional. The greatest love I will ever know or experience. I wanted and still want that for them. I want them to realize that there is a God that loves them so passionately, so fully that it will set them free. It will not be bound by rules and regulations. It will not be bound by cultural boundaries. It will not be bound by anything. It will know no limits. I want them to know that they have a God that cares about them enough to have His only Son come to earth to live a sinless life, only to die in their place, carrying all of their sins with Him. A God that has plans for them. Plans that He says in His Word that are for us to prosper, to give us a reason to hope and have peace (I did paraphrase a little there but you get the point). I cannot describe the sinking feeling that I had when I realized that some of them will never experience that kind of perfect love. The only one that can cast out all fear.
It was an interesting experience. Here in America and more specifically South Carolina, we are in the Bible belt. Most have heard the Gospel. Most have either accepted or rejected already. Some attend church regularly. It is definitely different to go to a country where they are spiritually in the dark for the most part. Most of Spain is dominated by catholicism. Save for the N. African immigrants that now live there & are muslim. And the younger generations that have rejected catholicism and it's legalistic practices. They have seen how corrupt the church is. And they fail to focus on the love of Christ. That personal relationship that we can have with Him if we just accept Him. I just wanted everyone to accept Him and it be done. But God is so gracious in that He gives us a choice to accept or reject Him. And I had to realize that nothing that I could possibly do could make them accept Him. I can obey the call to go and plant the seed. But at the end of the day, that's what He has called me to do. And that's what I would and did do. And even though we did not see any professions of faith, I definitely could feel the hand of the Lord in everything we did that week. Every dvd that we handed out, every invitation, every soccer game, every child, adult, teen that we interacted with was all for His glory. And He will do with it what He wants. We just have to be willing to go. We have to be willing to answer when He is calling. It is our responsibility to use the gifts and talents that He has given us. That was definitely encouraging. All we have to do is what He says and He takes care of the rest.
I believe that it is Paul that writes something to the effect of "I do not boast in myself but my boast is in the Lord." He is a most holy and gracious God. And it is only by His grace, not of myself but through Him that I am able to live with hope. He is the reason that I was able to make it to Spain. It was through Him that I was not worried about how the money would come, I was not held down by uncertainty. It is through Him that I was able to boldly proclaim His love. It is through Him that we were able to hand out all of those dvd's and invitations after rejections came our way. I most definitely believe that God put our team together and chose us all individually to go to Spain. I believe with all of my heart that not a better team could have been chosen because we all answered His calling. It is because of Him that I am able to tell you all about my journey and the opportunity that I was blessed with to go to Spain.
I will always remember this trip. And I hope that one day I will be blessed with the opportunity to return. Only time will tell what the Lord has in store for me. And I cannot wait to see what that is. I also want to challenge you. If you feel a calling to go whether it be to a foreign country where you don't know the language, or whether it is answering the call to share Christ with a coworker, to do it. I know that it is hard. And I know that I get scared sometimes, I'm not perfect. But strength comes from Him. He will give you the words to say. They aren't rejecting you. As hard as it is, we always have that assurance that He is with us. That's always a great comfort. Let's be difference makers in a world that desperately needs His love, His grace, and His hope.
Also, if you want to know other random facts about Spain, I shall post another blog about random things that we encountered in Spain if so desired. I love you guys! :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
It's Not About Me...
It's about Him.
The Lord has shown me that in a tangible way this week. It's not about me, It's about Him. And when I think about it, it seems so simple. It makes sense. It's pretty much like one of those V8 moments where you tap yourself on the forehead at not realizing something so obvious. But still, I obviously needed reminding. We (and when I say we, I am including myself as well) get so caught up in our daily lives that we fail to recognize how glorious God is. Also, how he forms circumstances in our lives to bring glory to Himself. God doesn't need us to do things just to give ourselves a pat on the back or check off another item on our list. He has already shown His glory by creating. There are some things He has created things that we don't even know they exist yet. He created the earth, the skies, the human race. He created us in His own image. Wow. We reflect Christ in some form/way. When I mess up and fall short, it is hard to look at myself and see that. But I know that I am His creation. I am His child. And I am created for a divine purpose, to bring God glory. I am not on this earth to accumulate accolades to add them to the list of accomplishments. When I study hard and make a good grade on a test, His glory can be shown through.
I was reading the other day. And it's funny thing how the Lord "coincidentally" not so coincidentally reveals passages to you. I know that this passage on this day was specifically meant for me. And it wasn't just I happened to come across it. Nope. Just to show me that He can, that passage I talked about, it was bookmarked. A while before I knew I needed it. If that's not obvious, I don't know what is. So I turn to it and start reading, and I was like WHOA. It was definitely one of those moments where I know that God can do anything but to see something in front of me that plain and simple, it took me aback. It was definitely one of those humbling experiences. Before I mumble on about it, I shall put the passage up. There's actually a few so here it goes.
Matthew 6:19-21
"Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- I read this and I was just... wow. My victory and my treasures do not lie in this world. But my treasure is in heaven. This life can bring me down but my faith and my hope is in Christ. And how I react and how I live my life should be for His glory and a testament to Him to show His love to this lost and dying world.
Matthew 6:25-27
"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying?
- We need not worry about silly things that will not matter in 10 minutes or even 10 years. We are only wasting time and energy. The Lord is our provider. He gets the glory in providing when all else seems lost. He is our hero. He comes in and saves the day. We may go through storms or trying periods in our lives. But the Lord is with us. He will provide for you just as He always has.
Matthew 6: 33-34.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- We have nothing to worry about. Isn't it comforting that Creator God of the universe, of you and me "has our back" in a modern manner of speaking. He knows our ins and outs, worries and fears. Yet, even in our sin and our shortcomings, He loves us. I need not worry about this or that. He has everything taken care of. He knows the past, present, and the future.
The Lord is faithful. And He is a jealous God. He wants our attention. He wants a relationship with us. Us. Creator of the universe wants to know me. Me. He wants to talk to me. Little lowly me is loved by a phenomenal, awe inspiring God that can do anything. And here I am worrying about silly things when I can be using circumstances in my life to glorify Him. And using even the hard times to reflect His glory. He wants to know you too. He wants to know you because you want him to know you and you want to know Him. He wants what all of us want. Love, acceptance, relationship. We were created in His image. And I just want to take this side note/tangent to say that you are beautiful. He has created you in His own image to show the world beauty and to reflect his power and glory in a tangible way for us. We can channel this beauty and reflect just that.
It's not about us. It's not about me. It's about Him.
The Lord has shown me that in a tangible way this week. It's not about me, It's about Him. And when I think about it, it seems so simple. It makes sense. It's pretty much like one of those V8 moments where you tap yourself on the forehead at not realizing something so obvious. But still, I obviously needed reminding. We (and when I say we, I am including myself as well) get so caught up in our daily lives that we fail to recognize how glorious God is. Also, how he forms circumstances in our lives to bring glory to Himself. God doesn't need us to do things just to give ourselves a pat on the back or check off another item on our list. He has already shown His glory by creating. There are some things He has created things that we don't even know they exist yet. He created the earth, the skies, the human race. He created us in His own image. Wow. We reflect Christ in some form/way. When I mess up and fall short, it is hard to look at myself and see that. But I know that I am His creation. I am His child. And I am created for a divine purpose, to bring God glory. I am not on this earth to accumulate accolades to add them to the list of accomplishments. When I study hard and make a good grade on a test, His glory can be shown through.
I was reading the other day. And it's funny thing how the Lord "coincidentally" not so coincidentally reveals passages to you. I know that this passage on this day was specifically meant for me. And it wasn't just I happened to come across it. Nope. Just to show me that He can, that passage I talked about, it was bookmarked. A while before I knew I needed it. If that's not obvious, I don't know what is. So I turn to it and start reading, and I was like WHOA. It was definitely one of those moments where I know that God can do anything but to see something in front of me that plain and simple, it took me aback. It was definitely one of those humbling experiences. Before I mumble on about it, I shall put the passage up. There's actually a few so here it goes.
Matthew 6:19-21
"Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- I read this and I was just... wow. My victory and my treasures do not lie in this world. But my treasure is in heaven. This life can bring me down but my faith and my hope is in Christ. And how I react and how I live my life should be for His glory and a testament to Him to show His love to this lost and dying world.
Matthew 6:25-27
"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying?
- We need not worry about silly things that will not matter in 10 minutes or even 10 years. We are only wasting time and energy. The Lord is our provider. He gets the glory in providing when all else seems lost. He is our hero. He comes in and saves the day. We may go through storms or trying periods in our lives. But the Lord is with us. He will provide for you just as He always has.
Matthew 6: 33-34.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- We have nothing to worry about. Isn't it comforting that Creator God of the universe, of you and me "has our back" in a modern manner of speaking. He knows our ins and outs, worries and fears. Yet, even in our sin and our shortcomings, He loves us. I need not worry about this or that. He has everything taken care of. He knows the past, present, and the future.
The Lord is faithful. And He is a jealous God. He wants our attention. He wants a relationship with us. Us. Creator of the universe wants to know me. Me. He wants to talk to me. Little lowly me is loved by a phenomenal, awe inspiring God that can do anything. And here I am worrying about silly things when I can be using circumstances in my life to glorify Him. And using even the hard times to reflect His glory. He wants to know you too. He wants to know you because you want him to know you and you want to know Him. He wants what all of us want. Love, acceptance, relationship. We were created in His image. And I just want to take this side note/tangent to say that you are beautiful. He has created you in His own image to show the world beauty and to reflect his power and glory in a tangible way for us. We can channel this beauty and reflect just that.
It's not about us. It's not about me. It's about Him.
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