Before I begin writing this entry I would like to apologize for not posting on here since last week. It is my intention for the rest of the summer to post every other day but last week we were under some unusual circumstances that simply did not accommodate writing.
My life in Alabama is a very unique one and I am most certainly not immune to that fact. Yesterday, after a week of tedious repair work, we finally moved into the missions house we will be calling home for the next ten weeks. People slowly trickled in arriving by all different modes of transportation, from all walks of life, with all types of personalities but with one common goal: to love people and serve God. I sit in the living room in awed silence at how quickly complete strangers become like old friends finally coming back together after a long time away-all on seperate journeys but merging together for a single summer. My little family has grown to a home filled with nine brothers and sisters. As I talk with everyone of them I realize that everyone has their own struggles, their own triumphs, their own special story that God has given them. Each person has a special life to live that God has blessed them with and what causes me to remain even more amazed is that each person is choosing not to waste this life but rather to live it to the fullest by giving it away. My mind flashes to an old verse that I have heard my whole life Matthew 16: 25 "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." This summer all ten of us are living lives totally contradictory to what the world says we should do to find happiness: we are not making a ton of money, we have no free time, no relationships, no partying, nothing that "college kids normally do" but what we do have is a budget we live on, days packed with worship and serving, friendships that will last a life time, and more joy and love than we could ever contain within ourselves. I am quickly finding that happiness isn't found within two suitcases but rather it is found in trying to walk daily with my Savior. After my church service today I was spending a few spare moments sitting on the beach. As looked out across the horizon I saw the sun, I saw the mighty waves crashing along the soft, white sand beachs and I felt my breath catch within my throat. My God made this for me, for you, for enjoyment. He is simply trying to draw us back to Him. What I realized sitting on that beach is that whether on a beach in North Carolina, Alabama, California, Dominican Republic, Europe, Africa, or Eastern Asia my God is the same God, He loves all of the peoples staring at whatever ocean they are staring at the same, and He wants to dote on and love them all everyday in every way that He can. And suddenly as I sat realizing this my little world that was all about me suddenly got a whole lot bigger.
Hi Meg!
ReplyDeleteYou are wise beyond your years, did you know that?
Sending love and hugs.
Tammy