With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I would like to share for what I am thankful! You know those times when you are so joyful and full of thanks that you have this ridiculous grin on your face? Yep, that's me right now...smiling like an idiot, drinking hot chocolate, writing this blog. and well with a blog, you get to share what's on your heart, so here it is..First, I am thankful for the community of family, friends, adults, teachers, and mentors that I have all around me. There are so many people that deeply care about me. Maybe I should consider all of them my family. And spiritually speaking they are. It's so incredible to me how God created us with the desire to have relationships with people and with Him. We all have that inner longing, a need to belong. I feel like a giant jigsaw puzzle piece with people connected to me all around [I really like the puzzle analogies, don't I?..see Uzzah, Love, and Puzzles]. Friendship with others is essential to our growth as a human being. NO, we shouldn't be lazy dependents who mooch off whoever they can leech on to, but we are designed to be part of the Body of Christ. All with unique gifts and talents, supporting and loving one another as life goes on. We all have unique communities as well. No one person knows every single person that another person knows. No one ever has all "mutual friends" on Facebook. And to add another layer to that, we are all united when it comes to the Body of Christ. And one day we will know no stranger. [which as social as I am, I think I want that reality now]. I am so overwhelmed right now with thankfulness for the community of people surrounding me and the desire to share with them God's grace and love to be encouraged. I am also overcome with a desire to expand my community so that I can minister to even more people. I was reminded of some of my dreams today. I truly desire to be a teacher one day. My mission statement for teaching is much like my one for life: discover who you are (in Christ) and discover what your God-given gifts are so that you can use them to help reveal the glory of God. Its a beautiful system. Our interactions with one another are so important. And maybe that's why I put so much effort into being social. Everyone is crying out for someone to care, believers have that in Christ, but those who are lost need to see a tangible person caring now. [fellow Christians also need a tangible person encouragement.] You reach out, you show love, and you tell them of Jesus. [I'm not saying Roman's Road, but just genuinely sharing about what God has done in your own life in a natural conversation] And I'm not saying be fake or forceful, but let the Holy Spirit guide you and prompt you so that you can build relationships with others. Another integral part to this is discipleship. Jesus specifically poured into the lives of 12 guys for two or three years. That's incredible! Why do we not follow through when our community comes to Christ? We are more concerned with numbers than supporting and loving our brothers and sisters and guiding them in faith and teaching. [But more on discipleship another time.]
Another part of my dreams is to have a home where women and children can seek refuge. There is a beautiful verse in Hosea 2:15 [context: The Lord is showing mercy on Israel when the people had gone astray and needed rescuing.]: "And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [Achor means trouble] a door of hope." A DOOR OF HOPE! That's what we received when Christ died, rose, and redeemed us! So why would we not offer that to others?? [Oh and here's a soap box moment..I would like to share the need for the Church to be compassionate towards immigrants. Stop being mad about some not knowing English, when you refuse to show them how to speak it. For once we were sojourners in a foreign land, but God reached out and called us to Himself. Why do we not mirror that truth?] Another place my heart is drawn towards, is teaching women their worth. The image the world portrays of women is revolting. Immodesty isn't even blinked at. Women are taught that their beauty is directly proportional to how many heads they turn. Oh and women are also the authority of the house hold because the men are too busy being BOYS to care. The family has undergone a major attack from the media [and more about this topic another time].
So, I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life right now. The Godly people pouring into me, and the wonderful people I get to pour into. When it is functioning to its fullest, the Body of Christ is unstoppable through Christ. I guess we will have to wait until He comes back to see that completely, but for now, I am thankful for the glimpses of His Kingdom.
