2011

With only a few days left in 2011 I can’t help but to think back and be completely amazed at how much can happen in one little year! So, I hope to gather my thoughts somewhat and wrap my mind around what all God has taught me…

My year began nose in the books. I have never studied so hard in my life and never plan to again! As I continued to battle what in the world the Lord was doing with me on this career path, the moment called for endurance and trust in the things unseen. I focused on these 9 truths while studying for my comps in speech pathology: God will…

1. Fulfill His purpose for me
2. Perfect everything that concerns me
3. Work all things together for good-pass/or fail a test He is still Sovereign and we can't thwart His perfect plans
4. Fight for YOU
5. Equip you with divine power
6. Delight in showing you mercy
7. Supply every need of yours
8. Be your power in weakness
9. He is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us.

He also pointed out Psalm 127 to me: Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

So, all effort is in vain without the Lord and we are to carry out our efforts in faith, trusting God to make the work beneficial. AND, receiving the rest he wants to give us! This also correlates with Proverbs 10 and 23 which explain that diligence is neither greed nor restless anxiety!

As I learned to take the time to abide in Him and trust in these truths I truly believe that it was by these spiritual disciplines and His power at work within me ONLY that I was able to pass comps, all ten questions 100%! Boom! Thank you Lord!

I’m not even going to try to make a long story short with how I ended up in Atlanta shortly after so I’m just going to try to make it super short! Another story for another day. Truly a God thing I believe. During the spring semester I lived in Atlanta doing my externship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Craniofacial Center. I worked with tons of kiddos with cleft lip and palate and many rare craniofacial disorders. I loved the diversity there and getting to be surrounded by people and children from all over the world! We served adopted children from China, Africa, India and many families from all cultures! I was able to do therapy with a fellow brother in Christ and Christian worship artist’s son. Working with this sweet child and doing church all semester with people like Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and Christy  Nockels really taught me that we are all people, all with our own struggles, all in need of the Savior. I was so greatful to be a part of serving this child during a time that this family needed much love and support. Although this was an incredible experience it was a very challenging time. The Lord carried me through it with the truth that we are called to carry the name of Jesus, no other name! Not our earthy given names and not our job titles. I learned a lot about myself and my character. He began bringing many things to the surface that He wanted to work out in me. He showed me that being meek is a beautiful thing because the meek will inherit the earth or trust God to direct the outcome of events. I learned that like Elijah when God sent him to Cherith there are times when the Lord brings us to places of solitude, alone with God where He can better build the muscles of our faith by learning to depend solely on God’s provision and protection. In these situations, like Elijah we are forced to experience a certain level of loneliness and rejection to better prepare us for the coming experiences God has for us. Sometimes God brings us to hard places so He can show us He is our provider. 

I could say so much more about what all I learned in the Atl! However 3 months passed by very quickly and it was time for GRADUATION!! Finally! Whew! Yes, I graduated with a master’s in speech pathology this year. I still keep saying that to myself in disbelief. I could spend so much time talking about this journey but I will sum it up with this quick thought. He showed me that position, power, connections, the alphabet soup of academic degrees—none of these are God’s criteria for choosing a servant. And this verse sums up how this journey has and continues to be a lesson of trust. “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what has been promised.” Heb 10:35-36 

This summer one of my very best friends got hitched, I worked in Ecuador, AND moved to Nashville! Brynn’s marriage was definitely a highlight of this year. I am so blessed beyond belief with the friends He’s placed in my life and it’s so beautiful to see Him at work in their lives. How I ended up in Quito, Ecuador is another long story that I am confident the Lord’s hand was in. I spent 3 weeks learning Spanish and providing therapy at a cerebral palsy clinic for children. I am so thankful to have been able to finally experience a taste of merging the love for the nations the Lord has graciously given me with the skills I’ve learned on the road to becoming a speech therapist. The company I work for does a lot of growing international work and I’m excited to see how I may be able to possibly get involved with that more. The company I signed with led me to my first big girl job in Nashville! I work as a SLP in the metro schools where I am responsible for 80+ precious kiddos. 

A few things He has shown me this semester:

Are you anchoring yourself in “missions” or in God? He wants YOU and when your attention is where it should be it opens up more doors to do His work. Let God pour into you so much that ministry will just be an automatic outpour! My main job is to remain connected to God. The good results don’t come from striving but remaining in Him. The lie is that our value is found in what we produce or we are loved for what we can accomplish. Your significance comes from Christ! It’s not about what others think of your life and it’s not about impressing God, just start enjoying God. I feel like the Lord is trying to teach me that I have become tired by comparing myself to other Christian brothers and sisters while striving to find my place in His will rather than just being still before the Lord and allowing Him to pour into me so much that how I am a part of what he is doing globally is just an automatic outpour or results of abiding in Him. He also showed me that intimacy comes before advocacy. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart THEN love your neighbor as yourself. I think sometimes I skip over intimacy with God way too often and jump to service. Then I’m dried up with nothing to give and the work feels empty. Then I'm questioning if His hand is in it or if I’m just chasing after what I think are His desires for me.

Some great verses that highlight this time in my life: Whatever you do work heartily as for the LORD and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as you reward. Colossians 3:23-24 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31

I am also learning to trust that our faithfulness to God will bring God-glorifying results. Daniel was committed to Babylonian teachings, although he did not agree with them and it was not what he desired to learn it was actually essential to what God had planned for him. 

This year I have also been faced with trusting the Lord when things happen that we just don’t understand. He has been teaching me to be still before the Him and wait patiently for Him. He says do not fret over the one who prospers in his way Psalm 37:7 but to trust in His promises for you. I’ve learned that forgiveness is the act of releasing someone from something they can’t fix and that we can’t let our wounds define us. My life is defined by the risen Christ that is in me and He is bigger than any wound! He is faithful to be our healer and prince of peace when we let Him and this requires our faith being our sight. 

As I sat in Starbucks writing this there was a group of young adults to my right doing a Bible study, a youth minister discussing his ministry with a couple to my left, and a group of teenagers behind me discussing how they felt intelligence was more important than faith. I couldn’t help but to realize that His presence is truly all around us and He is constantly drawing us to Himself. But are we aware? Are we listening to His truths? I pulled up a website for a conference that I usually go to at the beginning of the year called Passion. They are currently posting a live feed where the Word scrolls down the page. There is a world map to the right that shows bright lights in areas where people are logged in reading the Bible to prepare their hearts for this event and what God has for us as we start a new year! It showed people reading from all over the world and the words scrolling down the screen couldn’t have wrapped up my year and given me more hope for the year to come any better:

Job 11: 16 You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. 17 And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. 18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take rest in security.

It's been one packed year full of endurance, disappointment, excitement, new beginnings, accomplishments, and growth! Looking forward to what He will unfold in the new year and thankful that no matter what life brings I can be confident that the God of the Universe loves me more than I can fathom who never lets go of me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!