My Story; His Story
I'm just an everyday gal who really loves Jesus… and who longs to follow His teachings, particularly those about loving people (ALL people) and taking care of the poor and broken-hearted. But it's taken a long stretch of pavement and a great trail of tedious, dirt roads for me to arrive at this point in my life.
Though perhaps difficult for some of you who know me to imagine, for years, I was extremely ambitious and goal-oriented. I had a solid, unmovable focus on building a successful career — wanting to prove that I was someone important who could do great things in the world. I had BIG dreams, and right below that, on my list of goals was to meet the perfect guy and to eventually start a family. Voila – the great American Dream. Financial security, a great career, a stellar shoe collection, a beautiful family and perhaps even a quaintly decorated home with a white picket fence in a friendly town where everyone waves and smiles at you. Not that there's anything wrong with any of this… not that there aren't moments when I still long for some of these things. I still "notice" cute shoes. I still get excited at the thought of someday meeting the right man and starting a family. And don't get me wrong, I do happen to have an amazing career that God has blessed me with, but a lot has changed over the last year or so. My desires and focus have… shifted.
I wasn't exactly raised in a traditional Christian home, but through various influences (through the gentle nudging of family members and strangers) and a lot of soul searching amidst many mistakes, my faith has grown exponentially over the last few years. Right now, as I sit in the comfort of my home, a few months away from launching on the World Race, I'm 7.5 months into reading the Bible in a year. In all honesty, if you would've told me even 2 years ago that I'd be reading the Bible (and enjoying it), I would've said, "No way! Not me." Honestly, I absolutely couldn't stand reading any part of the Old Testament; I couldn't see how it could apply to my life or how it could ever make sense to me. I thought it was dry, irrelevant and useless. And yet… it's been the greatest surprise of my life. Nothing else has ever been as intellectually challenging, intriguing, beautiful and freeing — as digging deep into Scripture. Nothing else has ever been so transformational!
One of my favorite verses is John 3:30: "He must become greater; I must become less". Though it's a quote from John the Baptist (urging his disciples to focus less on "his" ministry and more on Jesus), these words really struck my heart as I read them for the first time… and they've haunted me ever since. The purpose of John the Baptist's ministry was to point to Jesus. Well, if I'm a Christian, and my life's not pointing to Jesus, what's the point at all? If I'm not opening myself up to the things that will help me to be more like Him – that will help me to love like Him, to show others that Christianity is about love, then I'm not truly living what I value. I take the words of John 3:30 to heart — as a posture I should hold as an "ambassador of Christ". And even though I still have many moments of selfishness, my focus is increasingly shifting from me to Jesus.
Although I've come to realize that life isn't all about me… I still get to be a part of the greatest LOVE story ever – God's story of great sacrifice and grace for all of humanity. As I myself am continually being transformed by His love and grace, it amazes me how Christ has impacted my life – how much freedom and joy I experience from having a relationship with Him. The more I focus on Jesus, the less I focus on myself. The more I focus on Jesus, the less I act in selfishness – and the greater my capacity to love grows. While I still hold onto dreams of having a family one day… my importance and value are wrapped up in Christ, and I've come to realize that the greatest thing I can do in this world is love: love God and love people – through service and presence.
Everything that's happened in my life up to this point – the good and the bad, the failures and the successes – have culminated in the path I'm on now. The path that's taken me to the most amazing opportunity of my life – the World Race. As I continue on this path, though I may reflect on and at times long for past dreams… I will keep these words in my heart: "He must become greater; I must become less."
I don't know what exactly I'll end up doing after the Race – what God has in store for me, but I do pray that once the Race is over, I come back home knowing how to love better. The best I can hope for on any given day is for God to show me who to love and how to love them… and that's my story ( just a small yet undeserved sliver of God's great story).
Random AJ Tidbits
Aside from my love for Jesus… I'm a huge kid at heart, and I approach life with zest and wonder. Here are just a few random tidbits about the gal behind the camera.
♥ I still really, really like Curious George and Dr. Seuss – (BIG kid at ♥)
♥ My favorite color is chartreuse
♥ I'm a fan of V-dubs, especially vintage VW Beetles and Samba Buses.
♥ I LOVE to dance! Doing the entire Thriller dance routine with a group of people is at the top of my bucket list!
♥ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oswald Chambers and Francis Chan inspire me.
♥ I'm addicted to Dunkin Donuts coffee.
♥ I have an affinity for red velvet cake – and mostly all sweets – especially cupcakes.
♥ I once shaved my tongue when I was 4. Imagine how my mom reacted when she saw her little girl with a mouth full of blood!
♥ I was once hit on by members of Menudo (don't know who they are, Google 'em)
♥ Mullets make me chuckle.
♥ I once travelled across the country and had the most random things ever happen to me in the span of 5 days – pull up a chair and I'll tell you about it.
♥ If I had to pick two other career choices, they'd be a race car driver and a vigilante (I know, I know… Jesus might not approve of that one ;), but perhaps then a travel photographer.
"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" Galatians 5:6
