Four Plane Tickets and an Apple

We arrived at the airport when it was still dark outside. The chilliness in the air only reminded me how alone I would be mere minutes from now. My eyes were puffy to notify me that I was lacking the sleep I so desired. And my heart was pounding to the beat of Final Countdown. Each step I took brought me closer to Goliath and I so desperately wanted to turn and run away. I knew I could never be David. I felt more like a blade of grass swaying in the breeze as the roar of the lawn mower creeps closer and clos―.

            My dad sets my suitcase on the scale and the woman in uniform sticks a barcode around the handle. We embrace and I try not to look him in the eye. Tears are the last thing I need right now. “Fake it ‘til you make it.” “Be strong.” “Try not to get murdered in the process.” These are all thoughts that race through my mind in the last minute before walking into Goliath’s shadow, sling in hand. “Call me when you get through security. I’ll sit out here for a little while and wait,” my dad says. I’m not sure which one of us is more nervous. It’s time.

            My hands grip my backpack and hoist it to my shoulder as I try not to let my gait reflect how scared I am. My feet march forward and I don’t look back.  I pretend that I’ve done this a million times as I get in line for security. I only have one Father to talk to now, and that conversation is running on faith. (Do I take my belt off now or do I wait until they check my passport? That woman looks nice, but she must be tired. It’s 4am. This must be a horrible shift to have. I wonder how I can make her morning better. No – focus. When do I take my watch off? Do I have any liquids to worry about?)

            The line creeps forward. (Do I look rich? I hope not. I hope a thief would be very disappointed in me. That man up there looks nervous. He must be a terrorist. No. God, you’re protecting me, right? You want me to go to Costa Rica, right? Please keep me safe.)

            “Good morning. How are you?” says the voice in front of me. I hand her my passport. “I’m doing well. How are you?” I ask with a smile. “Good,” she replies, “Have a good flight!” My passport gets stuffed in my pocket as I take off my watch and belt. I clunk my shoes down in a bin and place my laptop in another bin. I walk forward and place my hands above my head as I get scanned. This level of security even makes me question if I am a criminal. I tie my shoelaces as a woman scolds me for leaving my laptop in its sleeve. First mission accomplished and no casualties yet. Thank you, Jesus!  

            The next step requires waiting. Sitting in a seat waiting for a plane to board should be an easy task, but it lets my mind wander with worst case scenarios. I call my dad and hope to distract myself. I talk about everything and nothing, paying no attention to the conversation but being comforted by the steady voice that reminds me I’m safe. The man across from me keeps looking at me. He must be a spy. He is going to kidnap me.

            (It’s nearly 5am. I should eat something.) I get in line at the only restaurant that seems open so early. Last time I flew, I flew on an empty stomach and felt queasy for hours. (I should probably get something more than a muffin. An apple sounds substantial. Airport food is so expensive!) My feet glide back across the hallway to the plastic blue seat. I crunch into the apple and chew. I am not hungry.

A lady’s voice comes on the speaker overhead. She informs us that the flight is overbooked and they are offering tickets and free breakfast for anyone who is willing to switch their flight. The next thirty minutes feel like an infomercial as they raise the value of the incentive and handpick victims to offer first class tickets to. It feels like the game of sharks and minnows I played as a kid. Will I make it to my seat in time, or will I be the shark’s next victim? I hear my name and a flight attendant hands me my seat number. I am safe.

            As we take off, I feel as if a crash landing would be easy compared to what I’ve already been through this morning. For the next three hours, I ride a delicate see-saw. I must drink enough water to stay hydrated but not enough to have to use the airplane bathroom. A delicate balance indeed; tightrope walkers have it easy. We come to the end of our flight, our plane lands and I exit. I’m done with the first flight of four for this trip to Costa Rica.

            I walk to my next gate pretending to know where I’m going. I attempt to look like a woman on a mission. No one preys on a woman on a mission. I arrive just as they start boarding. My throat feel like the Sahara from all the walking. I need water. I sit in seat 23A unharmed. I talk to Jesus as we take off. I can’t believe that I’m facing my worst fear and I haven’t died yet. My mind finally is waking up and I realize that I’ve been up for hours. My eye lids grow heavy and I drift off to sleep.

            When I wake up, I look at my watch. I thought we were supposed to land an hour ago. (I never trusted that male flight attendant or his female sidekicks. It must be an inside job. They knew that a bunch of tourists, going to Costa Rica, would bring money for souvenirs. We must actually be flying to Cuba as captives. There is no hope for us!)

            “Hello, this is your captain speaking. The seatbelt sign will go on in just a few minutes, so this is your last chance to get up and walk around the cabin. We will be starting our descent in a few minutes and should be touching down in San José in about twenty minutes. Thank you for flying United.” We’re saved. Thank you, Jesus! I made it to Costa Rica and now I can start the part that made all this trouble worth it to me: being an intern.

            The awaiting faces of my missionary friends in Costa Rica could not have been more welcome. Facing one’s worst fear does make one hope for a friendly face on the other side. I have six weeks before I have to worry about flying again. However, six weeks goes a lot faster than one thinks it does. Five weeks, four weeks, three weeks, two weeks, six days - my panic sets in again - one day, three hours…it’s time.

            I say my goodbyes and my heart feels heavy. I won’t see a friendly face again until the stars shine in the sky. My adventure has ended, but one last hurdle waits for me to jump. My heart still pounds as I place my un-sleeved laptop in the bin, but my mind is at ease because I have done this before.

               I walk through the airport. As I head to retrieve my luggage and meet the smiling faces of my family members, I ask myself why I have so much fear of the people around me. They are just people, in fact. The woman passing me is probably a business woman. She is probably bringing her briefcase full of notes to a room full of business people eager for knowledge. That man up ahead is probably a father to three sweet children. He is probably rushing home, ready to hear a unison chorus of “DADDY!” And what about that couple that was on my plane, and is now walking behind me? They are probably heading to see their first skyscrapers with Spanish/English dictionary in hand.

I slow my pace as I feel the light bulb go on. I’ve just spent six weeks in Costa Rica studying Jesus’ life. My eyes are opened and I start to look at the people around me as Jesus would. He wouldn’t be scared of them. He wouldn’t see the bad in them either. He would love them. I realize that my fear is getting in the way of loving these people as Jesus would. I notice that my heart is beating hard again, but this time it’s to the tune of I Will Survive. I have no fear. It must be true that fear is the opposite of love. I only have room for one. If I really love others as Jesus did, I will have no fear of man. It’s amazing what love can do. When I started this journey I felt as if one mean glance could send a bullet through my heart and claim its casualty, but now I feel as if I am the one with the weapon and my weapon is love. I don’t ask how I can avoid eye contact, I ask how I can make someone’s day a little brighter. I don’t ask who’s going to prey on me, I ask who I can be Jesus to. It took six weeks and conquering one of my worst fears to realize it, but perfect love casts out fear. That may not be the most valuable lesson in the world, but it was a lesson worth four plane tickets and an apple!

The Problem with Mediocre

I know in the States right now it is pretty cold and dreary, but if you will, use your imagination to experience this tropical wonderland with me. Right now I am at a ranch miles away from the nearest town. It's about 75 degrees and moisture in the air feels as if its trying to embrace me. I'm sitting in a hammock listening to the rushing river down the hill. As I rock back and forth, I feel a slight breeze slip past me on its way to more exciting destinations. I hear the rumblings of the sky echoing in the distance as the sky fades to light gray. As the sound of rushing water surrounds me, the roosters are under the impression that it is early morning and sound off accordingly. My eyes rise up from their resting place on this rectangle of artificial light and absorb the sight of lush greenery. The nearsighted view contains myriads of tropical trees growing strong and tall up this mountainside. As my eyes float past the lush palm leaves I notice some birds soaring above the very peak of the tropical mountaintop that I find myself on. They look so free and satisfied soaring on each gust of wind, probably taking in more aerial beauty than I will ever see.

I glance back at my screen. One word monopolizes my thoughts: beautiful. This nature is gorgeous. And rocking back and forth in this hammock, listening to the birds chirp and the rushing water below, I finally understand the meaning of the word peaceful. I do not need shallow and meaningless things to occupy my time or monopolize my thoughts. I would be content to lay in this hammock for hours just enjoying it all.

I realize that a thought dwelling at the back of my sub-conscious is knocking on the door. Curiosity wins over and I let it in. "How will I ever be able to go home after this?" I've experienced more God-made beauty in the past month than ever before in my life. It's the kind of beauty that just takes your breath away. And now I'm gonna have to go back to the cut grass, white picket fences, and deliberately placed pine trees at home. Will I ever be able to be content with man-made beauty again?

It makes me ask the question,"Has the industrialization of America done us a disservice?" My architecturally perfect house back home can't compare to this open-air, screened-in porch of a house in the middle of a tropical forest. My house that keeps out every living thing but a few ants is not nearly as perfect as this old house that has welcomed a few lizards already today. A man-made forest preserve at home can't compare to a tropical jungle, and a swim in our mucky man-made lake could never compare to a refreshing dip in the chilly river flowing down from the mountain. I think we strive so much for perfection that we end up suffocating ourselves with the one thing we were trying to attain. We strive so much to be in a clean and controlled environment, that we have imprisoned ourselves in an artificial society. We have everything we could possibly want (realistically), and yet these people who have houses the size of some of our living rooms are more content than us. And because we have strived for such a controlled and sterile environment, we have deprived ourselves in one thing that money can't buy: beauty.

The first few days of being in this country, when we were driving through the beautiful mountains, I marveled at how gorgeous the view was. Now we weren't immersed in a rain forest or casting our eyes on the clear blue oceans. No, we were merely looking at some hills in the distance. That's when a horrible thought hit me: this beauty has become normal to the people that live here. It is merely a part of their lives. This beauty that took my breath away is just average and every day to them. Think about it. Isn't that a horrible thought?

Beauty has power, at least in my life. It has the power to take my breath away; the power to make me utterly in awe of God. It has the power to reveal to me just how small I am and how big God is. It has the power to open my eyes to the creativity of our Creator and to show me how feeble my artistic attempts are to the true Artist's.

It is a dangerous spot to be in when beauty becomes normal to us. When beauty becomes normal to us, we get the sense that we are in control. When beauty becomes normal to us, that tells us that we are more focused on a to-do list than actually taking a look around and enjoying life. Various movies do a great job at portraying the concept of the boring, average American man or woman working in a cubicle all day and coming home to their cookie-cutter house in their cookie-cutter neighborhood. When I say that, you have a picture in your mind of what that means. And you know you've found yourself in that spot before. Maybe you didn't work in a cubicle, but you know the feeling of going through the motions; of living a mediocre life.

Now, I know I've covered two points so far. I never really know what's gonna come out when my fingers start clicking against the keyboard. But here's my point: don't let beauty become normal. Don't let life become average. Don't try to be in control, and don't try to sterilize and perfect your life. You will end up suffocating yourself. That's what happened to Mr. cubicle worker. His life was so sterilized that it became meaningless and void.

God promises us an ABUNDANT life. That means being out of control most of the time. It means doing crazy things when God asks....even with two weeks or two days notice. It means worrying less about the report card or job evaluation than you do about enjoying the little moments with your kids or your siblings.

God didn't make us just to survive. He made us to thrive! He gave us the unique ability to be able to truly enjoy the little things in our lives. But that's a choice we have to make.

I admit, I'm usually more focused on surviving than thriving. Especially as I've started the real big kid stuff like college. I hate to break it to you, but getting straight A's is not thriving - it's just surviving. We've all been there. You're cooped up at your desk for hours and end up getting really great grades, but it's pretty empty when you miss all the little things in life. You miss your mom baking cookies, you miss your brothers getting home from school, and you miss the rainbow that was in the sky - and all because you were working so hard on that paper.

Now I'm not condoning procrastinating. If you are putting your work off so that you can scroll through your Newfeed or troll videos on YouTube, that's definitely not thriving either. But sometimes you have to chose to do it later.

I made a choice like this on Friday. I had a five page paper to write that I had barely gotten a sentence in to. When the kids got home from school it was my job to watch them until their mom got back from the store. My plan was to put on a movie for them and get crackin' on that five page paper I needed to get done. Instead, I made the choice to thrive.

We ended up taking a walk in the 70 degree and sunny day. It was beautiful! We walked down to the soccer field. Ellie* and I found some beautiful pink and purple flowers that we enjoyed looking at. She asked me to grab her hands and swing her around and I did. We swung and twirled as she delighted in being a four-year-old little girl. Then we joined Joel* at the soccer field and assisted him in his goalkeeping endeavors. Every time I shot a goal, Ellie* ran to celebrate by being spun around. We raced across the soccer field over and over again until we were all red from exhaustion. When we returned home, I turned on some classic dance music and the kids choreographed to their every whim. As I sat there watching their adorable selves twirl and hop to the music, I was very happy of my decision to put the paper off till later. A five page paper will never make the same kinds of memories as dancing to Cotton Eye Joe will. I was thriving instead of surviving.

Sometimes the cheesy figures of speech that we have actually contain quite a bit of truth in them. The one I want to end with today is my challenge to you.

Take a moment today to stop and smell the roses!

*Names changed to protect privacy.

Do you trust him?

Sometimes life is crazy.

That much is true. 

Sometimes you end up in a whirlwind of events that changes everything.

Sometimes you end up facing one of your biggest fears that you never thought you'd face - at least not this soon.

Sometimes you find yourself living a life that you would not have recognized a few months ago.

Sometimes you find yourself picked up and plopped down into another country. 

That is how life finds me this fine evening. 

God does have a way of doing that, doesn't he? He changes everything on us, and sometimes that leaves us wondering what happened. 

You pray, "Lord grow me!", and he says "okay!" He stretches you until you feel like you're gonna tear apart. You say, "Why are you doing this, Lord! This hurts! Make it stop." He replies, "I am growing you...

Do you trust me?"

You pray, "Jesus make me more like you!" He says "okay!" He brings all kinds of trials and sufferings into your life. You say, "No, Jesus. I can't do this. Make it stop." To which he replies, "I suffered much. I am making you more like myself...

Do you trust me?"

You pray, "God, use me for your kingdom!" He says, "okay!" Then all kinds of people come to you for advice. You feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders and you don't know how to help them. You are being spread thin. You say, "God, this is not what I meant! I can't do this. I can't help these people." He replies, "Of course YOU can't. You asked me to USE you. That is what I am doing...

Do you trust me?"

You pray, "Father, make me humble. Make me a servant leader like your son was." He replies, "okay!" He brings situations into your life that break you. You feel crushed, shattered, broken. "What was that?" you ask, "That was NOT what I meant! This is not okay." He replies, "Since when do I work by your standards? I LOVE you. I always have a better way...

Do you trust me?"

Do you? Do you trust him? He is GOOD. He has a GOOD plan. But it is not

easy,

or comfortable,

or fun,

or convenient.

But it IS good. 

I encourage you to check out a blog post I wrote several months ago. You can find it here.

We have a really messed up view of good. Just think: when someone asks you if you had a good day, what is your definition of good? I bet it doesn't include being stretched until you feel like you're about to tear apart. But what is God's view of good? Yep, it's okay to pull the Sunday school answer out here. Jesus. 

Jesus was good. 

But was his life easy, or comfortable, or fun, or convenient? Not really. It was pretty much the opposite. He was mocked and ridiculed by many. He had no place to lay his head. He had no riches or glory. But his life was GOOD. 

So what is the goal for us, as Christ-followers? The goal is to be more and more like Jesus, right? That's usually not gonna be the most fun thing we've experienced. It leaves us with this question:

Are you gonna change your definition of good, or your definition of God?

"Do you trust me?"

The Post that was more Important to Write than Getting Sleep.

Hey guys,
Honesty,I have to tell you, I've been putting this post off. Why? Well, that's a question I've had to ask myself. I think part of it has to do with the fact that this post will be about a very heavy topic.  Another part has to do with the fact that I'm afraid. Afraid of what? I'm afraid that I won't be able to communicate what I want to. That the post won't be what it needs to be. I feel inadequate. But I think the biggest reason that this post is being written so many days after I decided to write it is frankly, because the devil doesn't want it to be written and has done everything in his power to disrupt the writing of it.

Now I'm sure I've peaked your interest a little bit. What on earth could be so heavy and so important?

I am here today to inform you of what is going on with the Christians in Iraq. 

Many of you may have heard about it in detail. For others, this may be the first news you've had about it. But I've been realizing more and more in the past weeks, that as a Christian, it is my responsibility to be an advocate. To give a voice to those that don't have one. And raising awareness, while it can seem small and insignificant, is one way I can be a voice for them.

In one sentence, the Christ followers in Iraq are being severely persecuted for their faith by a terrorist group called the ISIS. 

It's one of those news stories we see as we scroll through Facebook or be pass by as we do a Google search. One of the news stories we don't give much thought to. Like I said in my last post, we are desensitized. Its just one more news story about people being mistreated. So we don't  give it much more thought than that and we keep scrolling. 

Do you believe in the objectification of people? I would hope you would say no. But in a sense, that is exactly what we are doing when we scroll past these stories. We are de-peopleing the people in the story. 

So I am going to ask you to do something revolutionary. We are going to go through an exercise together to re-people these people. 

I'm going to ask you to look at these pictures not as news stories or as just pictures on a screen, but as people. Who are these people? What are they thinking? What are they feeling? What are they going through? 

Look at this man. Is he just a news story? Or is he your brother in Christ? Think of the trials he is going through! This man is living for Jesus, knowing that it will probably cost him his life. Knowing that he may have to endure torture. Knowing that his family might be taken from him, or worse, that he might have to watch them suffer. Look at his face. Why is he crying? Has his wife just been taken? Have they cut his little daughter's head off? Does he know that this is his last day on earth? 

Church, this is your brother in Christ.

Now look at these faces. Can you imagine being a mother at a time like this? Having to remain strong even when you are more terrified than you have ever been? Knowing that this child that you hold might be killed and there's nothing you can do to protect her? Look at the child's face. That is fear. That is terror. You know how you felt as a kid when you saw a scary movie and were sure there were monsters under your bed? Well what if you saw screaming families being separated by brute force? What if you saw people fleeing for their lived only to drop dead with a bullet through their head? What if you saw dead, mutilated bodies lining the streets? People you knew. People that you had talked to yesterday, people that were your neighbors. And all this because these people loved Jesus. Can you imagine the terror this child felt when she realized that her family loved Jesus too?That these bad people that belonged in nightmares were coming for her family? What can this terrified mother say to comfort her child? What can she say to comfort herself? She could pay a fee and say that Allah is the only God and her family would be safe. I'm sure it is a tempting thought as she sees the terror in her child's face.Then she could tell her child that mommy will make it all better. But instead she must choose Jesus. She must go against every motherly instinct, against every frightened cell in her body.She must make this decision knowing that it will only get worse from here.Knowing that all her worst fears will become a reality. Knowing that these people will do anything and everything horrible to her and her family. Knowing that the only hope past this point is just finally being in heaven. But knowing that to get there, she will first have to go through the closest thing to hell that she will ever experience. 

Church, these are your sisters in Christ.

Have you ever felt empty? Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt desperate? Have you ever felt like you have nowhere to go? Well what about these people? They have fled their homes hoping to stay alive. They have nothing. No food. No house. No certainty of the future. No place to go. No certainty that they are safe.  Can you imagine being in a situation where there were so many people out to kill you that no matter where you went, you were in danger? You couldn't go to the next town for safety. You couldn't try to flee the country in any normal sense of the word because you were trying to get out alive. And no matter where you go, you are alone. You have no voice. You have no advocate. No one will fight for you. So your best bet is to flee to the middle of nowhere and not be noticed. You don't know where you next meal will come from. But maybe starvation would be better than being murdered.

Church, these are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

A family photo that I'm sure this family never planned to have. Can you imagine this beautiful family of eight. Brothers and sisters that loved each other. Parents that cared for and provided for their six wonderful children. Picture in your mind this family sitting together on the sofa in the background reading their bibles. Talking to each other about God's power and love. One child has a story to share from his own life. Another has a verse to add that she had just found yesterday. The family sits down for dinner. They talk about their days. They insert funny stories from their lives. Can you see the laughter, the love, the joy in their faces as they sit together around the table? Even as they knew of the persecution, can you imagine them bringing their fears to the Lord together. Gathering together as a family and praying for strength. Then it happens.Members of the ISIS storm in their house. They give them a choice: convert to Islam or die. Then you hear it. The shots of the men's guns as each member of the beautiful family crumples to the ground.

Church, this is your family in Christ.

A cute child to be sure! Maybe you can imagine, in another lifetime, him playing legos with your sons. Maybe you can imagine him giggling as his dad pushes him on a swing. But his dad probably isn't who you imagined. His dad believes in Allah. His dad believes that the world should be rid of those that don't. This little boy has grown up hearing those messages. So now, just as your son would proudly pose with a trophy from the science fair, this little boy proudly holds up the bloody head of a Christian  and smiles for the camera. That Christian is your brother in Christ, and now his head is being held up as a child's trophy.

Church, Christ calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

This is your sister. She has lived in this persecution. She has seen women get raped and tortured. She has seen the ISIS members beheading helpless children. She has seen the fleeing families. She has seen it all. And yet she shows up to church. And yet she stands strong in her faith. She knows that ISIS members could barge through the doors of that church at any moment and kill them all. Her faith is a real thing. It is worth it. She is forced to ask, "Can I believe in a God that calls me to die for him? Can I believe in a God who sees what is happening and gets glory through it?" And her answer is yes. She knows that God sees her suffering. She knows He does not find joy in watching His people being mistreated. She knows He cries with her. She comes to church, after all she has seen during the week, and she praises God. She worships Him. She prays for her enemies. She is a broken woman. A woman wholly surrendered to Christ. She is scared, she is grieving the loss of so many around her, she is terrified, she is angry, she is weak. But she clings to Christ with everything that she has.

Church, this is your sister in Christ.

Church, this is more than just another news stories. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you see them as people now? Do you see their pain? Do you feel their fear and their suffering? Does the injustice that they face make you angry?

Does this post make you ask what you can do?

I hope it does. 

I hope you shed tears for these precious brothers and sisters facing all their nightmares becoming realities.

I hope you stay up at night thinking about them.

I hope you can't get them out of your mind..

And I hope you pray. Pray for them with everything in your being. Pray for the mothers, the fathers, the sisters, the brothers, the children. Pray while you eat breakfast, pray while you shower, pray while you sing worship songs at church, pray while you heat up leftovers, pray while you wash dishes, pray constantly. 

PRAY.

You may want to know what else you can do. One thing I ask is that you do the same as I did: raise awareness. Post something to Facebook. Change your profile picture. Share this blog post. Research the story for yourself. (Only look up pictures if you can stomach looking at mangled, bloody bodies.) Spread the word. Get every Christian you can to pray for their brothers and sister in Iraq. 

Other things you can do are to give money to organisations that are helping the refugees. You can contact your politicians to make them aware of the situation. You can sign petitions that raise awareness and push others to act. 

Here is a blog post that gives you more ideas for what you can do: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/crisis.in.iraq.six.things.you.can.actually.do.to.help/39094.htm

Here is a petition that you can sign:  http://wh.gov/lM2As

But more than anything, I just urge you to pray. We so often underestimate the power of prayer and/or get too busy to take moments to converse with God throughout our day. But remember the God we serve. He is a just God. He is a loving God. And He is the King of Kings-the all-powerful Lord. The ISIS members do not intimidate Him. So bring these Iraqi Christians to Jesus in prayer. He's got it from there!

One of Those Weeks

It is another normal summer day. Once again I find myself logging onto Facebook to browse the ever-interesting newsfeed. Only to find that it is "one of those weeks" again.

Now I know saying it like that sounds derogatory - but it is not. It is merely a statement of fact. I do not moan or complain that it is "one of those weeks". Instead, I feel.

Have you ever logged onto Facebook and noticed that it is one of those weeks? No, not the weeks where little annoying issues arise in people's lives. Not the #firstworldproblems kind of weeks. The kind of week where you log onto Facebook expecting some statements of the obvious, some interesting updates on peoples lives, and a few witty lines here and there. But instead, Facebook slaps you across the face with the painful reality that this world is filled with hurting people.

One glimpse at your newsfeed and your misconceptions about how all your friends are happy, they have it all together, they are in a good spot right now--those misconceptions go right down the drain. You are faced again with the horrible fact that you try so often to ignore or forget: everyone is hurting about something. This world is filled with pain, heartache, loss, and emptiness. Times when your life shatters before your eyes. Times when not even the most encouraging note can convince you that it will be okay again. Times when the masks come off. When we see the real, raw, gritty, hurting person instead of the porcelain-faced doll they tried to be.

Isn't it funny how one glimpse at our newsfeed can bring us back to reality? How one glimpse can remind us that bad, horrible, horrific things happen in this world...to people we love. How one glance can instantly have us questioning our faith. How one glance can show us the multitude of individuals that find themselves bombarded by different crisis' in their lives. One glance of this hurting world--one tiny itty bitty glance--and we feel the weight. Our hearts are heavy. We lift our hearts to the King of Kings knowing that he has a reason and a plan, but having to accept the fact that His plan incudes pain.

It is one of those weeks.

 

Now here is the point in the blog post where I turn it back around. Where I tell you that you don't need to have heavy hearts. How we have a God who is in control. How we have a God who has a plan. A God who is the Comforter, the Healer, the King of Kings.

 

And while that is the God we serve, tonight I am refusing to tell you those things. Too often we hear people telling us, "Here's the facts....but it's okay, don't worry, don't trouble yourselves, it will all be okay.."Because, frankly, we don't like to have heavy hearts. We don't like to feel the tension of a hurting world. We don't like reality.

 

So we desensitize instead of empathize.

 

God made us to be empathetic people. He says to laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. We are supposed to feel others pain with them. But we train ourselves not to feel. But that is not how God meant us to be! We try to put all these safeguard up so that we don't get hurt and so that we never feel pain. We find tricks to help us ignore or forget or dismiss the news stories. We invent this "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy for the hurting people in our lives. We want to be happy, right? But each layer of walls and safeguards we set in place makes our life further and further from the abundant lives Christ has called us to live. He created the church to do life together. And yet we don't do that why? Because we don't want to feel pain. Because we want to be happy; even if it is a superficial kind of happy.

 

 

Well, I want to challenge you today. Not the general "you" of the general audience reading this. No, I want to challenge YOU. See? You're already trying to desensitize yourself and I haven't even asked you to act yet. Do you feel the weight of this issue? I'm challenging you to feel more. To empathize. To act. To live as the hands and feet of Christ like He has called you to. And that is a great challenge, right? But a challenge doesn't tend to have much weight unless the participant understands the true weight of the issue involved. I'm getting the drift that you don't fully understand it.

 

No, don't you dare get all defensive on me! I see those walls going up. "I get it!" you say, "Please stop writing. I will do your stupid challenge (albeit halfheartedly), and there's no need for your to explain further."

 

Okay, okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you get it. Maybe you even allow yourself to FEEL more than the general public does. So  then tell me, when was the last time you couldn't sleep because of an issue you saw in the news? When was the last time you cried yourself to sleep because of the pain and hurt your friend was going through?  When was the last time you prayed to God with every cell in your body for someone else? When was the last time you felt someone else's hurt as if it were your own and you prayed from the deepest part of your being for them?

 

I bet you can't answer those questions. And I get it. Because, honestly, I have trouble answering them too!

 

But today I am standing up and saying that we are doing it wrong. I am calling you as a Christian, to stand up with me to be ambassadors for Christ in a broken and hurting world. To bring Christ's love to others through empathy, heavy hearts, prayer, and service. I am calling you to start living in Christ-centered community as it was meant to be. I am calling you to not only laugh with those who laugh, but to also weep with those who weep. Can you do that?

 



Then please join me!

5 Ways to Help Yourself Make a Big Decision

And I'm back! You just can't seem to get rid of me this week, now, can you?

Well, I wanted to come back to write what could be considered part two of my last blog post: 5 Ways to Help a Friend or Loved One Make a Big Decision. See Here

Now it might seem a little backwards the order that I'm writing these in. You'd think that I'd tell you how to make the big decision itself, before telling other people how to help you make that decision. But I felt the need to write it in the opposite order. Why? Well, I've seen bad things happen on both sides of the story, but the one that never gets addressed is when you are trying to help someone else make a big decision. And because that doesn't get addressed as often, I felt more of an urgency to write that blog post first.

But for those of you stuck in the middle of making a big decision, have no fear! This blog post is for you!

So what are some ways you can help yourself make a big decision? Well, while running the risk of repeating a lot of what was said in my prior blog post, I will attempt to help you out.

1. Go to God.
This should always be your first response when faced with a big decision. I admit it's not always mine, and from many people I've talked to, it isn't always theirs either. But I will tell you, the decisions that I have regretted the most are the ones I made without consulting God first. And no, this doesn't just mean a little, "God, show me what to do" prayer. This means taking a considerable amount of time talking with your Heavenly Father. And not just talking either. Listening. Read His word. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Spend time making Him the biggest factor in your decision making process.

2. Go to people you trust...with CAUTION.
Now you might not be the kind of person who needs to hear this. Maybe you are the kind of person who wants to be independent and make decisions all on your own. Maybe you're the kind of person who will listen to someone's advice, and your natural response is to do the exact opposite. To you, I want to say: listen to people around you! They have wisdom to offer! The best thing you can do is listen to their wise words and heed them. But to the rest of you out there, to all the people who are more like me: be careful. Like I mentioned in my last blog post, it's easy to surround yourself with all these voices of the people around you. To try to heed every piece of advice anyone ever offers you. We are the people pleasers. The one's who drown out our own voice by listening to everyone else's. The one's who drown out the still small voice of God by listening to the far louder voices of people. Now I will tell you, many things people tell you will be wise words of advice! But we face the problem of putting too much weight in the words people give us. If you listen to the people around you so much that you feel like you can't hear God anymore...you've got a problem. So here's some advice for you from someone who has the very same problem:

 A. When faced with a big decision to make, before going to any friends or mentors for advice, take a few days just for you and God. Don't talk to anyone else yet. Just take time for yourself and for God. To seek His direction first and listen to His voice before anyone elses.

B. We people pleasers like to hear EVERYONE'S opinions before making a decision. But maybe limit yourself this time. Just go to two or three people you trust and ask for their best advice. This way, you avoid the risk of drowning in a sea of voices, and you are putting priority in the one that matters the most: God.

C. Weigh other people's advice against God's. Ultimately, we know that God has a plan. And not just any plan. The BEST plan. So why not start acting like it? Learn to be okay with the fact that people might be wrong. Sometimes the person you go to about everything and always gives you good advice is wrong this time. If we are listening to God's voice, we will be able to recognize that, and we can have peace with that, because we know that people are flawed, but God isn't.

3. Weigh the Pros and Cons.
This should be a step we take in every decision making process. There are obviously good points and bad points of every decision we make. Maybe they have to do with money, location, relationship, opportunity, etc. But take some time to make a list. Which choice will get you where you want to go? Which do you feel God pulling you towards? Which would grow you to be more Christlike?

One word of advice from my experience: be careful not to choose something just because it would be more comfortable. Everything that the secular world put weight on in decision making is flipped upside down when Jesus is added to the mix. Recently I had to make a very big decision where one option was easier, more convenient, less scary, more friendly, and just all around more comfortable. In the secular world, that would've been the obvious choice. But I knew God was calling me to the option that was scary, was harder, was less comfortable, would push me, challenge me, grow me, and ultimately grow me closer to Him.

4. Keep an open hand.
Sometimes, when we make the decision we felt God calling us towards, we have this idea that because we made the right choice, it will be easy for us. Wrong. Like I just said, sometimes God calls us to make the harder choice. The one that will hurt more at the time. The one that we will wonder why we chose it. But God has a plan. We have to remember that even when things don't go as WE planned them to, they are still going according to God's plan. We need to trust Him and keep an open mind. Be willing to go through some hard stuff if that's what God's calling you towards. Know that life will not be easy or painless. But also know that you know the Ultimate Counselor, Shepherd, Healer, Father, and Plan Maker, and if you trust in Him, He will carry you through.

5. Ask God to give you peace.
A very wise man once told me words that will forever help me in my decision making processes:

"I have often found that God wants me to keep moving even when he hasn't spoken clearly. When he speaks clearly, it's called obedience. When he doesn't, it's called faith."

It is natural to doubt your decisions and wonder if you chose right, but here's the main point: If your goal is to choose the choice God is leading you towards, and you seek Him in the process, you have done the right thing. There will be bumps along the road, but know that God is leading you over every bump and choose to be content with His plan. Pray that He would give you peace about your decision, because He gives a peace that transcends all understanding! And once again, just like I said in the last blog post, "The worst decision you can make is to not make a decision."

Happy decision making!

5 Ways To Help a Friend or Loved One Make a Big Decision

It is the season of decisions. College decisions. Job decisions. What to do with your summer decisions. And even, as wedding season is here, the season of making the decision to spend the rest of your life with that special someone. 

I've been surrounded by people having to make very hard decisions about their life. Even I just had to make a very difficult decision recently. And from being in that place, and seeing others in that place, I wanted to write a post on how you, as a person on the outside, can help the people around you make these decisions.

1. Acknowledge that you're biased.
It doesn't matter if its about a sports team, a college, or a job situation. You are biased. Maybe you're biased because you went to that college. Maybe you're biased because you've had a similar job situation and made the wrong choice. But to some degree, you are biased. The best way you can help a friend make a decision is to acknowledge that fact to yourself before you start to give your best attempted to be unbiased advice.

2. Look at their options and help to identify what would be the best choice for them personally.
In general, one option might be better all around, but looking at this specific person and what they want and need, you might find yourself suggesting the other option as a better fit.

3. Choose to be okay with God's plan instead of your own.
We often envision our preferred future. In this preferred future, we might decide to have our friend continue living in state, instead of taking that out of state job opportunity that you both know is a better fit. If this friend then goes on to choose the out of state option, its easy to feel angry, disappointed, bitter, and betrayed. But we have to remember that what we wanted to happen was never a reality. We have to remember that what we wanted to happen might have been better for us, but not for our friend who's decision it is to make. We have to remember that the right decision, is not always the one we want. One of the hardest things to do is to keep an open hand to God with those that we love. But that's what we must do when helping loved ones make big decisions. Don't push them towards what you want them to do. Push them towards what you think God wants them to do. And if they listen to God and not you, then even if the outcome is one you don't like, that is a victory.

4. Point them towards Christ.
Ultimately, we have to acknowledge that we don't always have the answers. When loved ones come to us for advice, sometimes the best thing to do is tell them, "I don't know. But God does." I know of people, including myself, who have made decisions because people wanted them to. But we should never make decisions because the people around us tell us to. We should make decisions because we see God leading us there. Sometimes we have to stop listening to all the voices around us, and just listen to God. And when He tells us to go; GO. When people that we love come to us for advice, we have to remind them, that we may give all the advice we want, but none of it matters, because God's plan is really what we should be straining after. Encourage your loved one to listen to God first, and everyone else second.

5. Be happy with them about whatever decision they make.
Making decisions is HARD. And the one thing that is most hurtful after making such a hard choice, is when people put you down, disapprove, or imply that you made the wrong choice. Be affirming and congratulate your friend or loved on on making such a hard decision. Be happy with them! A wise man once told me that "Any decision you make is a good decision. The worst decision you can make is to not make a decision." So be excited for this individual! Yes, there may be bumps in the road, but she will get to those when they come. For now, just take to time to be happy about it.

The Little Lessons Along The Way

I love how God teaches you little lessons along the way as you go through the average day to day stuff. It's a great reminder that He's right there walking beside you! But it's also so cool how he takes His truth and teaches you an object lesson through the things around you! I had a little lesson God brought to my mind today which I thought was just so cool.

The actual story is rather embarrassing, to tell the truth. I had gone to Taco Bell/Pizza Hut after church with my family and a couple friends to eat lunch. We had a great time and then left and had to run some errands before returning home. Because of this, it was about a half an hour after leaving the restaurant that we returned to my home. It took that long to realize I had forgotten something essential: my purse!

It was one of those -facepalm- moments. I had set my purse beside my chair at the restaurant and simply left without it. So we turned the car around and headed back to get it.

That five minute drive was one of the longest five minutes I've experienced! My mind started running through all the things I'd lose if my purse got stolen! For those of you who don't know, I hold like my entire life in that bag of mine! I would lose at least $40, my phone, my state ID, almost all my favorite lip glosses, and my bible! The thoughts raced through my head!

But it's funny how God can change your heart in five minutes! At first my prayers were super uptight and full of fear. "God, don't let anyone take my purse! That's so much money and my Bible is in there!" but as the five minutes progressed it was cool to see what He did.

God knows I'm a huge music person. I respond to music, so often He will speak to me by putting a song on the radio that speaks into that moment. Well, I don't remember the title of the song that came on...but the lyrics hit me because they were all about letting go of everything else and making Jesus your everything. I thought about that. Was it really so bad if I lost some state ID that had my picture from when I was like 15 on it? Was it so bad if I lost my old brick of a phone and had to get a new one? What about the forty dollars? Is that really so much in the span of eternity? Maybe someone needed that $40 to pay their mortgage or to put food on the table. Was it really so bad if I contributed $40 to that? And my bible. I love my bible. But maybe someone needed it more. Maybe the person who took that purse needed one of the verses I'd underlined.

I saw my thoughts changing from very me-centered to quite the opposite. My prayers at four and a half minutes sounded more like, "God, if someone did take that $40, please use it for a need in their life...not just as fun spending money."

I was amazed at the change I saw God make in my own heart. In five minutes He convicted me that I was not making Him everything. He showed me that maybe I'm holding onto my possessions too much and not trusting Him. And He gently reminded me that my things are not my own, but merely ones He has loaned me for the time being, and if He needs to take them back or use them for someone else, than I should be joyful in letting Him do that!

Well, my purse was still at Taco Bell when I got there to check. And I did give a big sigh of relief! But on the way back home I was just reflecting on how cool our Lord is! That He can use such a small thing as forgetting a purse, and take five minutes to teach me a lesson I won't soon forget.

As you go throughout your week this next week, try to be open to the little things God is showing you! You never know. Five minutes can be more significant than you think!

The Truth about Ministry

So there's this myth going around. A myth that many people fall prey to believing. The myth that ministry isn't about you. That it's about other people.

But actually, ministry is all about you!

Now before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. I've worked in different ministries throughout my life, so I know this from experience. People start working in a ministry with a certain mindset. If you asked them why they work with that ministry, various answers might sound like, "I want to serve people." I want to help people." "I want to see people changed" "I want to minister to people" and many more that have different words but basically mean the same thing. They have the mindset that they are there to change others. Whether that means teaching little kids about what Jesus did for them, feeding the homeless and seeing hearts changed, or just talking to young moms and seeing them grow closer to Christ even through their trials.

But guess what? Working in ministry isn't so you can change others. It's so God can change you!

That's the beauty of it! I know this from my own life. I started working with the Junior High youth group ready to impact younger girls. But I realized pretty quick that's not what its all about. God doesn't have me working there so I can change them, He has me there so He can change me! And He has! He has shaped me and grown me and stretched me. He has taught me more about how He created this Christian life thing to work. He has taught me how to listen to His voice and obey. He has taught me how to be a tool.

I guess that is what I've come to love about ministries. When I work in a ministry, God teaches me about His world, changes the way I view Him, He teaches me how to be a moldable tool for Him, and through that He uses me to impact others. It's not just this man to man thing: It's God working FOR me, so God can work IN me, so God can work THROUGH me, so God can work FOR others, so God can work IN others, so God can work THROUGH others, and on and on! Isn't that a beautiful cycle?

There's also a relational aspect to it. While I may be going to Junior High Youth Group to talk to and hang out with younger girls, that's not the main point. The relational aspect I'm talking about is the relationship between God and I. There's a depth that is added to that relationship when you get involved with ministries. Why? Well, you have to be humble before God. You have to rely on Him for literally all your guidance. Because you don't know what to do most of the time. You start to ask Him about things. This could be, "God, who do you want me to be talking with right now?" or, "God, give me the words to say to this person" or, "God, show this person that she can find comfort in you." When you work in ministry you realize just how helpless you are to help people where they need it most, but you also realize that you know "this guy" who can fix everything and you start to humbly tap into His resources.

This is why I love ministry! Ministry helps me to grow closer in intimate relationship with God. It helps me to learn to rely on Him for the big and the small things. It gives me a place to authentically live out what He teaches me. It gives me a place to follow His leading. It gives me a place to be used by Him. It gives me a place to see Him using the little things I do to impact others. It gives me a place to say, "Wow! I am not great, but God used that little thing about me to impact someone else and that is so cool to see!" It gives me a place to see what God is doing and jump in! It gives me a place to experience God's power and see His works.

Now, plot twist:

I don't see Junior High Youth Group as my ministry. Nor do I see being on the Worship team, or working in the nursery, or working at Camp Agape as my ministry. I see my whole life as the platform God has given me for my ministry. When I smile at the cashier, when I babysit those kids, when I wash the dishes, when I write that paper. That's all part of my ministry.

So, what's your ministry?

The 'M' Word

Dear Christian,
I know you. I know you because I am one of you. I know that you have memories of being in Sunday school and saying that Bible verse over and over to try to remember it. I know that you were at one time, that little AWANA kid. The kid who wanted to earn more patches, or points, or jewels, or just the signature at the bottom of that page that meant you never had to see that verse again. You were probably the AWANA wanna be. The kid who wanted to be like those star kids. The ones who memorized three verses a week, did the review AND that extra credit stuff. But you weren't. You weren't that star kid. Instead, you were the kid that your mother had to remind a hundred times to go over their verses. You were the kid that dreaded having to remember all those fancy words just to get a badge. You were the kid who sat down five minutes before you had to leave and learned that verse just well enough to say it and get it marked off. I know because I was that kid too!

Or maybe you were that star kid, but only because your parents worked it into your scheadule to go over verses. Maybe you were that star kid because you wanted to beat all the other youngins. Maybe you were that star kid just because you wanted to be. But you aren't anymore. You don't have time, right? And there are no points to be made for memorizing a bunch of words like justified or begotten.

We all have probably gone downhill since we finished AWANA. And the "M" word terrifies us. We have all kinds of excuses. "I hated memorizing all those Biology words, but at least they were used in regular English sentences. The Bible is even worse!" or maybe it looks more like, "I can't memorize things. My brain's just not cut out for it!"

Well, probably to your dismay, I'm here to tell you that the excuses are over. Memorizing scripture is an essential part of the christian life. Just as important as reading your Bible or praying. There are many reasons for this.

The first is that we need to store God's words in our brains so that when we need them, He can bring them to our minds. When you're having that hard day where you just want to give up, He can't tell you "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" unless those are words you've committed to memory.

God also uses those verses to help us when we are tempted. This is something I've experienced within this past week, even! I've been working on keeping Hebrews 4:14-16 in my long term memory for several weeks. And when I was tempted, God's door out was just running that verse through my mind,

"Therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." 

Pretty cool, huh? God could only do that because I had memorized that verse.

Another great reason to memorize verses is because we may not always have our Bible with us. Within this point, I can think of two scenarios. The first is, imagine that you are having a spiritual conversation with your unsaved friend. You say God is a loving God, but he asks you to prove it. He has only seen many natural disasters with little signs of God's love. You know it's in the Bible somewhere, but since you don't have a Bible with you, you are left unable to back up the truth. If you had memorized a verse like that, you could've said it then and there and kept the conversation going.

A second scenario I think of is one that may at some point be true in America. Throughout history, Christians have been persecuted for their faith. Situations would range from Bibles being confiscated, to the Christian being put in prison. If this ever happens, your only access to the Bible would be through verses and passages you had put to memory.

These reasons for memorizing are only scratching the surface to be sure. But before you get too discouraged that you are a horrible Christian with no hope because you can't memorize, let me present a new idea to you.

Maybe the dreaded "M" word we've been using is actually the wrong word entirely. Maybe the reason you've had such a hard time memorizing is because you weren't called to memorize; you were called to use a different 'M' word: Meditate. Now before you freak out because that sounds an awful lot like weird monk dudes sitting Indian style and chanting "OM", let me explain.

Meditating is more than memorizing. It's not just going over words until you remember them. It's so much more! It's taking a verse or passage and thinking about what it means. It's digging deeper and taking it a step further. When meditating on a verse, you don't just recite words until you can say them without looking. You look at the passage as a whole. Look for the context. Look at all the little parts. You look at all the word pictures and think of what they truly mean. You look up words like 'justified' so that you know what they mean, and aren't just saying an empty word. You pray the verse, you wrestle with the verse, and there's something else. Something important. One huge difference with meditating is that it's not just a sit down and say the verse over and over one time. When meditating, you look at that verse when you wake up, you take it throughout your day and are thinking about it as you go about your life, you go through it at night. Meditating is so much more than memorizing.

And I wanna pause right here for a few seconds for you to take some deep breaths. Don't freak out. This is not a major time commitment. The thing is, when you meditate, you remember. You remember the concept of the verse, what it means for your life, and eventually you know it word for word. It enables you to know the verse long term and be able to remember it when you need it. Because the verse now means something to you. And you can share it with others.

So to put you at even more ease that memorizing and meditating is something you CAN do, let me share a  couple tips and a story.

1. The easiest way to meditate on a verse--like, I'm telling you, SUPER easy--is to put it somewhere within your boring routines. I have started taping verses to my shower door. (which is glass, and I know not many of you have glass shower doors) That way when I get into the shower, and wash my hair (which takes no thought process whatsoever) I can actually use my time efficiently and go through a verse or two while I'm at it. Proof that this works is actually right above! I wrote Hebrews 4:14-16 by memory, and it was a verse that I first memorized a few months ago! Some other easy places to put it is: a) By your bed. This works especially well if you are in a bunk bed, cause you can tape it above you and still be able to read it cause it's pretty close. If you don't sleep in a bunk, you could write it big and tape it to the ceiling, or put it on your nightstand. b)Write it on your mirror. You can do this with a dry erase or vis-a-vis marker. I do this all the time with reminders or my to-do list too. It's an easy way to remember things because you use your mirror several times a day and most of the time it's while doing things that take no thought process. Let me just say, without any intention of memorizing the verses when I put them up, every single verse that I have taped to my wall, I could say from memory now. It truly works, people!

2. I want to tell you, I never really believed I was the memorizing "type" until I got bored and challenged myself. I ended up, to my astonishment,  memorizing Philippians 2:1-11, which I can still (probably imperfectly) quote for you today! "HOW?!?!?," you ask. Well, basically I went over one verse per night. I learned one verse, or even just a phrase, and I went through what it meant, I thought of scenes and pictures in my mind, I thought of how I could live that part out in my own life, I prayed the verse. And then the next night, I went over that verse and learned the next. Until I had learned eleven verses with not much effort at all!

Now, Christian, I could probably keep going for a while on this topic, but I don't want to keep you too much since I have already written a small book. There are, however, a few things I want to leave you with.

There IS hope! You CAN memorize! The trick is to change your 'M' word to Meditate! Meditate on those verses, read them day and night, think about them when you shower and when you brush your teeth. And if you do that, you can easily learn verses that God can use to enrich your Christian walk so much! It IS worth it. And always remember, now that you've read this, you know how to do it. And you CAN do it!

Now go! Pick a verse and start working. You won't be sorry!

***NOTE: Any part of this post stating that God can't bring unlearned passages to memory is purely to emphasize my point. Of course God can do anything, but in most cases He doesn't unless its a verse you've memorized***

Just people.

Dear people out there,
There is this impression out there that Christmas break will give you extra time to write blog posts. I am here to tell you that is FALSE. So I hope you all had a good break, and here is a letter concerning you all.

Yes. All of you. Are you 40? This concerns you. Are you 12? This also concerns you. What is it? Well I just want to discuss a certain topic that I've become very passionate about this year.

So right now I want you to close your eyes. Close them and think of people that have impacted your life. Whether that was that teacher in 2nd grade, or the upperclassman that helped you learn more about Romans in college. Think of all those people that shaped who you are.

What was special about them? What did they have in common? That is something I've been working through this year. Because I'm a leader in the Jr. High youth group now, and I'm a upperclassman in our high school youth group. I am in a position to be that person to others. But what does that mean?

I remember my 5th grade Sunday school teacher, Mr. Vale. He was the best! He had such a passion for his faith that made me want to jump on board too! He was the one that inspired me to take my faith as my own.

I remember my junior high youth group leaders, Ashley and Chantal. I looked up to them so much! They were some of my favorite people. I thought they were so old and had this life thing figured out. Now I am their age and a Junior High leader, and man, I do not have life figured out! But it just makes me appreciate them more! Cause they did what they could to impact us, even though they didn't really have anything figured out.

I think of my teacher that taught me various literature classes, Mr. Yeiter. He was instrumental in confirming the passions and strengths that God has giving me and encouraging me to pursue them.

I think of my youth pastor now. He taught me to be intentional. He pushes me out of my comfort zone even when he knows I hate it, because his only goal is to push us closer to Christ.

I can think of about 100 more names of people who have impacted my life. And I wish I could personally thank each one. But the point is, these people did not have a whole bunch in common. They weren't at a certain point in their lives, they weren't doing some magic thing to impact me, they were just people.

So I want to encourage you to be that same kind of person. It doesn't take much to impact someone. It takes you caring aboput the people God has placed in your life. Being intentional about reaching out to them, whether they're younger and need advice, or lonely and need a friend. God has placed people in your life right now that you can impact. Now it's your choice whether you go out and do that.