I never realized how much baggage one can carry without
even realizing it. It’s super easy to go through life without a blink of an eye
of why you’re doing the things you do. I’ve recently been going through some
super tough stuff, coming to a realization on some of those things. Unfortunately,
I can’t really explain quite what’s going on, but know that God is revealing to
me a lot and that only through the Lord am I making small steps closer to the
way that He would like for me to live. The only way I came to that initial realization,
though, was through the Spirit revealing it to me when I was reflecting and
processing.
Lamentations 3:40 says “Let us test and examine our ways, and return
to the Lord!”
If we go about our whole life and not reflect on what we’ve done or
accomplished, how can we grow? How can we change? It’s so easy to go down the
wrong path; what happens if we veer off without even realizing it because we’re
too focused on other things? We could go about life and do everything right,
say all the right things, and if we do not know what our purpose was for it all,
what did we truly even accomplish?
I cannot stress how important it is to be aware of
what’s going on with yourself. Only when you are aware can you be convicted,
and when you are convicted, then you can make a true change in your life and in
the life of others.
Being aware means taking everything in and processing.
One day, some friends and I went to the beach to see the stars, and I became
amazed and in awe at how powerful and wonderful God is. I watched my one friend
look for some glow-in-the-dark algae, my other friend try to make a hat with
one of the palm branches, another friend listening to music, one friend looking
at the stars, and me, just sitting there being thankful by how we can all be
enjoying God’s creation in different ways. It was seriously a taste of Heaven
on Earth. And then to continue that, my roommate got baptized in the ocean
today as a sign of obedience to the Father. It was such a beautiful moment as
well, as friends and family were gathered together to share in her excitement.
She shared the importance of the Gospel with us right before
she got baptized and yet once again, I am amazed by the power of the Gospel. I
know that I have tried to act perfect and do things right, but I do struggle.
And that’s okay. And “as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one”
(Romans 3:10). Ultimately, we cannot get to any type of Heaven by ourselves. Although
we are sinners, Christ already paid the price for our sinful actions. Because
of that, we have the ability to reunite with God the way it should be and be
seen as righteous in His eyes, not because of what we have done, but because He
loves us. If we realize that Jesus is God, that He died on the cross and rose
again three days later, and are convicted of our sin and want to be reunited
with Him again, we can do so through repentance and trust in Him. It’s such
beautiful news, yet how often do we share it? If we truly reflect on our
personal life, how many of us actually live like the Gospel exists?
Sometimes I think about the kids I see in the DR with
a lot less stuff that I have, and yet they are content. It’s not that I’m
better than them because I have more, or that they’re better than me because
they can be joyful with little, but that we are both the same level because we
have the same love for Jesus and love for what He’s done for us. Reflecting on
that and on what Christ has done makes all the difference.
Praises:
-My parents are still here with us in the DR, and it’s
been a fantastic time of growth for both them and us
-I now rarely have to think about my medical recovery
in the states!
Prayer Requests:
-I have recently been just getting by with my classes,
but now want to dig deeper into Spanish a lot more. Pray that God gives me the
motivation to do some extra work and enjoy myself in the process.
-Pray for wisdom on where to spend my time and for a
discerning heart on how to speak Truth into people’s lives.
