What do you see?

“and the word of the Lord came to me and asked: what do you see?”

I see a world full of people who are lost, but unaware that they are lost. I see people seeking for hope, love, forgiveness and acceptance…and destroying themselves because they keep looking in all the wrong places. I see that love can heal the brokenhearted and grace can really set the captive free. I see that light always overcomes darkness. I see that He invades my weakness with His strength. I see the power of believing in the call, and running the race that is set before me. I see a generation who is passionately seeking after His heart. I see that laughter is the best medicine. I see leaders who will rise to the occasion and BE the change. I see that faith somehow keeps me going, even if it’s difficult to believe. I see the bigger picture, even if I don’t quite know how to get there yet.

What do YOU see?

Foot washers?

         “We have all been called to be foot-washers.”  That phrase will more than likely make anyone cringe a little bit…if you look at it with your natural eyes. I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking “Really?? That’s kind of gross, I don’t know where their feet have been. No thanks, not for me.” Silly, but I can admit that I wasn’t on the same page as Jesus at that point. Not to change the meaning of it (because He clearly does call for us to literally wash feet at times) BUT, I’ve realized that it’s the symbolism of it that might be the most important part.

         In biblical times the act of foot-washing was reserved for the lowest of the servants. Peers didn’t wash each others feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love.  John 12:26 says, “No servant is greater than his master.” If Jesus himself could lower himself to the lowest of the servants and wash His disciples feet, who are we to say that that is beneath us. I’m just human so I can never be equals with Christ, but we are still called to aim to be Christ-like. I can no longer look at anyone as less than me, after-all Jesus never did that. It’s time for me to get my hands dirty so to speak.

         I was raised knowing to respect my elders and I’d like to think that I still do that. Not just because it’s what my parents taught me but because I know that it is the right thing to do. However not until recently have I began exploring the idea of servant-hood. That is sort of a dirty word, you never hear it mentioned an awful lot but it’s key. As a child I’m called to respect, honor and serve my parents. I think that growing up I was fairly good and two out of the three. Serving to me always made me think of waiters and I absolutely didn’t want to be doing that in our house growing up. My regular “chores” were hard enough and I’m supposed to add to that and do things that I wasn’t expected to do? No thanks. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that my parents were and still are excellent examples of servants. They always put others first and even when they were tired they would push themselves a little farther to do something that they knew we would love. After a lot of prayer I’ve realized that it’s my turn to do that. And who better to learn from firsthand than my parents.                         

         The decision to move back to Kernersville wasn’t something that was easy to make or something that I ever saw happening, but I’m completely at peace with it. The thought of moving back into your parent’s house at 25 isn’t normally attached to great things. Most of the time you see this happening for reasons that might be somehow linked to failure. In the past when I’d thought about moving home I thought for sure that I could never do that. Going from a place of freedom to living under my parent’s roof and abiding by their rules will definitely be an adjustment. BUT I’m honestly excited about it! And because I’m excited about it I have to believe that that is God’s way of showing me that this has always been a part of His plan for me. This season of living in Boone has been nothing short of phenomenal. I’ve learned and grown so much and made some of the best and life-long friends I could have asked for. These are all friends that I know that I’ll keep up with no matter where I live 6 months or 6 years from now. They are people that have pushed me to be a woman that I’m proud of and to be a better woman that I could of ever thought possible. Moving to Kernersville is definitely going to be an adjustment but I’ve realized in the past week that it won’t be in the way that I originally thought. Yes, I’m going back to the town that raised me and to live around family that taught me so much, but I’m coming this time as a new/different person. It’s almost as if I’m looking at this as a redo. I get an awesome opportunity to go HOME and really love on my family, and learn from them. How cool is that?? I think that at my age I’m at a place where I can finally truly appreciate all of them for their hearts, gentle kindness, courage and so many other qualities that I’ve never expressed to them. The Lord has really shown me that I’m going to be able to play a key role in winning my family back over for the Kingdom. If I’m going to be helping orphans find families one day that’s something big that He’s trusting me with. And He can’t trust me with something big until I prove that I can handle something smaller. I ask that you please join me in prayer as I’m beginning to search for ways to reach out to certain family members. One word keeps popping up whenever I pray and talk about this move, LOVE, but isn’t the best way to reach the people closest to you is simply to just love them right where they are?

Choose Wisely.

Team = a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal.

         Throughout history there is one thing that you can almost always find, teamwork. Sure you can do “it” alone but you can surely do it better, faster or more effectively with the help of others. Most of the teams we see now don’t really have too much of a say in who they have by their sides. The team owners pick and choose who they want to wear those team colors that you love so much and the players just either learn to get along or attempt to hide any discord. They learn to put aside their differences and fight against a common enemy.

         Like those professional teams, we have a team that we can join together with in “battle”. Unlike those teams though, we have complete control in who is on our team. It’s one of the most important decisions that you can make (in my opinion). I recently read an article about the different types of people that you should surround yourself with, and it really got me thinking about my own team. Part of this list is from that article and parts I tweaked a little bit for myself.

1)    The instigator. This person is someone who pushes you, who makes you think. Who motivates you to get up and go, and try, and make things happen.

2)    The cheerleader. This person is a huge fan, a strong supporter, and a rabid fan of you and your work.

3)    The doubter. This is the “devil’s advocate”, who asks the hard questions and sees problems before they arise. They are looking out for you, and want you to be as safe as you are successful.

4)   The taskmaster. This is the loud and belligerent voice that demands that you get things done, and your goals are reached.

5)    The connector. This person can help you find new avenues and new allies. They can most often walk ahead of you the reach the people and places that you don’t have access to yet.

6)    The example. This person is your mentor or the person that disciples you. There presence can act as a constant reminder that you too can do amazing things.

As I said before, this really got me thinking about who I’ve picked over the years to be on my team. I’m thankful for everyone that has been a part of my team and gotten me to this point in my life. However I think that your team is capable of a constant shuffle of players. I don’t know that I’ve ever had 6 people like this list, BUT I know that the people I’ve surrounded myself with have met those needs for me. Some people were/are better multitaskers than me ;) I DO however think that it’s vital that you have these people in your corner, fighting for you and encouraging you along the way. We weren’t called to walk alone but as believers you aren’t called to walk with just anyone either. Be careful and pray about who you let into your camp and who you let spend time around you with your armor down. Above all else make sure that you and the people on your team love each other sacrificially (John 15:13), accept unconditionally (Proverbs 17:17), trust completely (Proverbs 18:24), have healthy boundaries (1 Corinthians 13:4) and give mutual edification (Proverbs 27:6).

How To Let A Dream Die

Fair warning, I didn’t write this blog post, it’s actually part of another blog that I subscribe to. HOWEVER I had to post it here because it is that good and I think it can help those of you in my sphere as well as the one who originally wrote this. Hope you enjoy it!

How To Let A Dream Die

#1 – Expect for everyone to understand you.  (The quickest way to let the dream inside of you die is to dedicate yourself to everyone else’s dream for your life!)

#2 – Believe that you are going to face zero resistance and that everyone will be excited for you!

#3 – Believe that it is going to be easy (where in the Bible did Jesus ever ask anyone to do anything easy or attainable without His involvement?)

#4 – Fall in love with the way things are rather than how they should be!

#5 – Allow people who have never accomplished anything significant to tell you why you can’t either!

#6 – Procrastinate, always say “later” whenever you want to pursue the passion that the Lord put in your heart!  (The snooze button is one of satan’s best friends!)

#7 – Look at failure as confirmation that you should not have done what you are attempting rather than a lesson to be learned.

#8 – For goodness sake, don’t you dare try to work hard…if a dream is going to die you have to sit around and “pray about it” rather than stepping up and using the gifts that Jesus has placed inside of you!

#9 – Don’t trust anyone, you have got to believe that the only way for something to be done right is for you to do it…that way you never believe in others OR ask them to come along side of you.

#10 – Buy into the lie that you are average, ordinary, that OTHERS may be able to do great things but there is no way you could ever accomplish anything significant.

#11 – NEVER ask God to set you on fire with HIS passion and plans for your life.

Do these 11 things on a consistant basis and I will guarantee you will live a life filled with boredom, predictability, frustration and jealousy of others!

Genuine late night convos

Isn’t it funny how the Lord reveals things to you? Sometimes you get all the information you’ll need right away and other times He does a little bit at a time, slowly peeling back layers as your heart gets more prepared. I think that the amount of “sneak peeks” we get from Him is, in a way, up to us. He waits for us to sit quietly and listen with open ears and a receptive heart.

         With that being said I was talking with someone last night and we began playing this game that involved us saying where we saw ourselves in the next 3-5 years. It’s a really great way to get to know someone who you may think that you already know pretty well. They may surprise you J And as it was my turn the more that I talked I realized that the Lord was revealing things to me mid-convo! My calling is to work with orphans in Africa (as you already know) but I realized that that doesn’t necessarily mean living over there. I’ve been called as one of the few and it’s time that I started think and more importantly acting like one. There’s no better time then right now to go ahead and take a leap of faith. My calling doesn’t have to be limited to just Africa unless I make it that way. It started with India this summer and is leading me Haiti currently through connections I made while in Bihar.

         It’s a funny thing how when you get to a certain point in life when you start to notice your calling begin to line up with others. I began thinking about that yesterday and realized that my calling will align perfectly with the calling placed on my husbands life (whoever he may be). They will complement each other perfectly because that’s how the Lord orchestrated it before either one of us was aware of it. These are all things that I could have heard a long time ago but the Lord waited until I was receptive and then gave me a sneak peek.

         I know this might not be the most exciting blog that I’ve posted but I just wanted you all to see that one conversation with someone can open up a serious “stay up way past your bedtime” convo with Jesus. So why not ask those around you questions that delve below the simple surface level ones that you normally use to navigate friendships and REALLY get to know each other. After all we’re all called to fellowship so why not make the most of it!

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”

Galations 6:2