Tuesday...we meet again

Dear Tuesday, As I sit here in what has become “my spot” in the coffee shop, in a town that is slowly starting to feel more like home (or at least I’m starting to finally embrace it as such), I’m amazed at how after only a week I’ve grown to love you. I’ve looked forward to meeting you here for 7 days now. I’ve thought so much about what to tell you and I know that more will come the longer I type but I only have this thus far: I found out the hard way this week that I’m not allergic to bees. Can’t believe that it took me 25 years, 10 months, and 12 days to figure that out, but I’m thankful nonetheless.

Dear Laura, I’ve prayed and prayed about what to say to you this week. I’m certain that The Lord is going to do the same thing for you that He’s done for me and for so many others that have blazed the trail before us. Enjoy the last week and a half that you have in Boone. Spend as much time with the people there that love, support, and pray for you. Go out of your way to. Push yourself when you’re tired to stay up a little bit later, and then to get up a little earlier. I want you to see as much of that sweet town as possible. Take pictures, journal, just sit and soak it all in. I wish that I had done all of these things. You will never see Boone the same way once you begin your drive down to your new home on the farm. That may sound harsh but I promise you that I mean it in the best way. The season you’re about to enter is going to be the greatest one yet for you. When I first moved I heard The Lord continue to whisper “refinement” to me, and I know that this will also be a season of refinement for you. Embrace that. Embrace the occasional isolated feeling that you’ll get. Embrace the time you’re going to get to spend with your Father and your father. You have so much to learn from both of them. You’re beautiful in ways that few people are anymore. Classy. Loving. Open. Honest. Trustworthy. Pliable. I could go on and on about all of the qualities that I and so many others notice and love about you but let’s be real, it would embarrass you just as it would me if the roles were reversed haha. So I’ll stop for now and just end this by saying that I love you and that I’m glad that we get to experience this next season together.

Dear Anna, a month. That’s how long we went without sitting down to talk. A month seems like so long but for some reason when we met up yesterday it was as if no time had passed. The more we talked the more we realized that we have both changed more than we realized in the past month. I love you so much for giving me the space that I didn’t want or didn’t think that I needed to ask for The Lord’s opinion instead of using you as my safety net. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that. There is something rare about our friendship. I’ve never had a conversation with you that I didn’t feel that the Holy Spirit was leading. He’s gently led me to the most amazing realizations during and after conversations with you. I’m encouraged to “follow in your footsteps” in this new and mysterious season. Thank you for being a much needed guide to me and everyone else J. I still can’t stop thinking about those 9 beautiful kids whose lives you changed last week. They are going to be the ones that will change their classes, schools, families, the community, and eventually the world. That is your calling. Your testimony is not just limited to teenagers and adults but it can begin to transform kids of ages that you would never think to understand what you’ve been through. Keep pushing through, because you’re one of the trail blazers/guides that the rest of us need. I look up to you in a way that I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember. You’re the older sister that I never got biologically. I love you friend.

Dear Abba Father, wow. You’re seriously so good. So unbelievably good to me. Provision. That’s what You keep telling me and I couldn’t ask for me. During this time of unemployment, part-time employment, and job searching you’ve been so undeservingly faithful to me. You’ve never let me go without in the 3 months of transition. You’re goodness just overwhelms me in the funniest of places. Even now I’m fighting back the tears in Starbucks. I choose to value Your plan, Your calling, and Your love over everything else. EVERYTHING. “It’s not pride to say about me what You said about me.” I need to start speaking more highly of myself. Thank you for showing me that through P. If I stay in line with Your word then everything that I speak has got to come to pass! Thank you for giving me dominion over the things that you’ve given all humanity dominion over, and thank you for the specific things that you’ve given me dominion over. Thank you for planning out every detail of my life. I’m 100% dependent on You. Without You I am powerless and weak. To put it simply, I need You. All the time, every moment of everyday. I thank You for every test of my faith. It has helped to develop my perseverance that I need to be mature and complete as You intended for me when I was created. I know that you know all the things that break my heart, I know that they broke Your heart long before I was aware. And I know that they break Your heart even more. Thank you for letting me see even a glimpse of that pain. It’s created such a hunger and desire in me. It doesn’t matter that Satan wants to destroy people that I love and that He doesn’t want the world to cry out to you. But that doesn’t matter because those people will know you and the world will all love You as I do one day, regardless of what he thinks. The devil wants children to be living on the streets, not knowing where they will sleep, what they eat or what they will have to do to survive another day. But I know that You never created too many children and not enough people to watch after them. More than that though, I realize that You never really called us to save the world, not even to save one person; that is Your job. You’ve just called us to love with abandon. And that is just what I need to remind myself whenever I struggle with a certain number on my “quit list” cough#15cough. Perfect timing yet again Jesus. Only You could line things up like You do. Thank you for Your perfect timing. I love You with everything that I am and everything that I hope to be.

Tuesday, I realize that I got a little gushy on you today. Thank you for listening anyway and thank you for always lending me your ear (or in this case the blank canvas that this letter started on). You’ll never know how much I appreciate that. Until next week. #twofingers