We have come upon the tail end of 2016. There have been Facebook announcements of events that date back to my freshman year of college 3 years back. A lot has happened since then, but God consistently reminds me
"Christy, you are mine. You belong to me. I see great value in you. I am equipping you to do exactly what I have set ahead of you to do for me."
I would like to share with you 3 lessons that God has taught me through this semester.
Lesson #1: God gives perfect gifts. He knows my every need and the best way/time to give it.
I entered this school term with some doubts about where I'm headed with my program (elementary education). I am nearing the end of my undergraduate program, having declared this major only the year before. Here is some history for you:
I had never in the past saw this as a goal for myself before until some people mentioned that they saw that in me. God used them to weird me out with affirmation in an area I had never considered.
God has done a work in me this semester, not only providing me with a great role model of an elementary school teacher to learn from (Ms. Fisher), but also confirming my place by the grades I've managed to keep-by the grace of my professors while taking 7 courses this semester. When I thought that God's grace had run out on me, God answered the prayers of those who have interceded on my behalf.
I feel so humbled as I see myself unworthy, but God has deemed me worthy to contribute to His kingdom by educating young minds and influencing lives with Christ's love.
The reason why I want to be a teacher is that I want each student I come in counter with to know their worth in Christ (whether I can verbalize it in the classroom or not) far surpasses their academic capabilities. I do also want them find confidence and grow to love who they are and follow after their hopes for their lives. They are not limited by past experience, living conditions, or others' doubts but that God will build a bridge far beyond that so they can do what He has set aside for them to.
Lesson #2: Loving is a lesson that we keep learning.
This semester, I took on a lot of leader-oriented environments (3 courses and one role) that walked me through and caused me to reflect on the different ways love should be expressed in life. I am guilty of interrupting people while they are speaking and as I am making steps to becoming a
better listener, I am loving better. There are times I assume things when it is almost always
better to ask than to guess. This allows me to better understand how I can do my part to meet others' needs. This is gold that struck me hard:
it is loving that I contribute my honest thought in response to situations. God has been teaching me that
voicing my weakness is not intrusive, but
opens myself to the Body blessing me with their gifts and play their role with me, as we are a part of a Kingdom community.
Lesson #3: I ask for more, but I have what I need.
Living while comparing myself to others is exhausting. Being a person who loves consistency, the hardest thing I have ever done is leaving home to go to college 2,000 miles away. In my current dorm hall (Floor 2 in Dignitas-The House of Dignity), we start each hall meeting by sharing our current state with the phrase "I want... but I need..." The two sentences I think that outline my time here has been:
1. "I want to be good friends with everyone (or as close as possible), but I need to be faithful in investing in the immediate environment God has placed me in and grow in the friendships that have come naturally over time."
2. "I want to either not go back home or not go back to school, but I need to rest in the consistency of God through the transitions and be thankful for His providence of having two places I am welcome back to."
I am such a friend-oriented person and God knows that it is both a blessing as well as a set back. I have always struggled with choosing academics, family, times of solitude, and God over friends. God is the only fully trustworthy captain to drive my ship. He knows where I am heading and where I ought to go. I have all the resources to navigate the time in life I am at.
Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do. It is painful to ask God to realign you. Although, it is the best thing to be headed the right way and reach the destination that I was meant for.
[I would like to invite you to pray with me]:
-Lord, please help Christy recognize that she is secure in Your constancy. Have your love fill the cracks of where she has felt failure, rejection, and belittlement. Have her see Truth.
-Lord, please create a humble heart in Christy, so that she may lead others with an imitation of Christ in servanthood and love, so that only God's name would be made great in her work. Help her know when to ask for help and guide her to where she will find it.
-Lord, being home is hard because it seems that so much has changed, but have Christy see the purposes for why you have placed her where she is and be obedient to what you lead her to.
-Lord, Christy desires to be a light. Let nothing stand in the way of her living out her desire to live for you wherever she goes (dorm, church groups, school breaks, public school classrooms, old friendships etc).
>Lord, may refugees feel your peace and healing as you are with them. As they feel displaced, their home is where you are. Even though they may not know you, grant them mercy with their hurt. Show Yourself to them as their loving Father as you meet their needs. May they meet people with compassionate hearts to invest blessings to them.
>Lord, be with the leaders of this nation as you can change the hearts to align with yours. I pray that this nation will the progression toward one that loves one another and honors you. Guide our leaders to make wise decisions and strengthen the believers to trust you. You have said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." May your great presence be known. Please be merciful to us as we have strayed from you, but draw us back to you.
