We were sitting in LIFE Group on Wednesday, discussing what happened in our lives over the break and areas in our lives where we needed prayer; I was listening intently and jotting down the prayer requests as they came, knowing later I'd be emailing them out to the group for the week.
When it was my turn to share, the advice my dad gives me on a monthly basis, "think before you speak," slipped my brain. I said with a flip of my hair, "I GOT BANGS!" No one really got my
Legally Blonde reference, but they still laughed. Sadly though, I hadn't taken the time to think about anything specific, nor meaningful to say after that. What followed was a two minute monologue with little organization or coherent thoughts. I'd learned so much over the break, especially at Passion, but I realized it does little good if I can't share it with others in a somewhat organized fashion.
In short, I was a bit embarrassed and decided the next morning to write down what God taught me over the break.
- The most important thing I learned is that Gospel isn't something we only need to hear once when we're saved; we need to speak the Gospel to ourselves daily and share it with nonbelievers and our brothers and sisters in Christ frequently.
- I learned to find peace in the fact that God doesn't necessarily call us to a ministry or a job, but He calls us to Himself
- I learned that we should tremble at the Word of God and proclaim that we are not just flesh and bones but we are of divine nature, chosen by God
- I learned that often we must make right or left decisions without blatant directions, but rather carefully, yet boldly choose and pray that God will bless that decision and trust that He'll use it for His good purpose
- I learned that God is good, but He is just and He is righteous because He kept his promises that we would receive mercy and that sin would be crushed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
- That when we praise God, our joy is complete and He is most glorified
- I learned that I need not be chained to the lies of this world, that instead I can proclaim, We know where the Spirit of the Lord is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty! ... after singing this every night at Passion it was cool to see it came from 2 Corinthians 3:17
- I learned about many injustices of the world and felt my heart softened towards the needs of others and desire to serve them through prayer and giving
- And lastly (for the sake of the blog) I learned that people need to be prayed for and want to be prayed over: on the way to Passion we stopped at a gas station and started visiting with the woman behind the cash register. She told us about her granddaughter, Asha who was sick with a rare disease, and asked that if we believed in God to pray for them. Wonderful Kristin asked if we could pray right then and there, and we did. It was slightly awkward, yet amazing to be vulnerable with that woman in the middle rural Alabama. At Disciple Now last Sunday, I saw a woman crying at the alter after the service was over. Encouraged by the latter experience, I (the girl afraid of praying aloud in most group settings with people I don't know) had the boldness to ask this woman named Melissa if I could pray for her right then and there and, we did. We prayed and we cried and we stood holding hands filled with the Spirit. We are broken, and we need each other, this I've come to truly understand in recent weeks.
There is still so much to learn. Each day has enough challenges and things to process on it's own. But I'll quiet my soul and rest in the promises of God's Word.
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
-Psalm 131
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Get here soon and enjoy your tree Grayson!
