Jesus is MY PERSON! These are MY PEOPLE!
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, NOT giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25
T-Squad
“Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be MY PEOPLE and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16
Team…
Un…
Divided!
“…But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be NO DIVISION in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” 1 Cor. 12:24-25
Any Grey’s fans out there? THEY say, whoever they are, that the show created the concept of “MY PERSON.” I beg to differ. I used that term long before this show. Your person is your first and last call. He or she is the one on the other end of your biggest celebrations, your ugliest mishaps, and your greatest devastations. They know your thoughts before you utter a word, and they can read you like a book. Often times, your person is the one who can have an entire conversation with you in silence, or in how they distort their face. Your person is your go-to for advice, and your lean-on for comfort. They can be found in your pictures, you never forget their birthday, and in their absence their name is littered throughout your every story.
Game-changer Jesus comes on the scene and suddenly John 15 haircuts take place. A trim here, a little pruning there. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. He clears the stage, so I’ve learned to welcome it. Jesus is MY PERSON! I have what I call constants or steadfast sisters who ARE much like He IS. In His isness, He satisfies. I’m in a season right now where nobody calls. My text messages aren’t loaded with sweet I’m thinking of you messages from men. My voicemail doesn’t carry familiar voices checking in to see if I’m alive. Nobody calls me. That’s not a poor me statement, but truth. I’m not unloved or unlovable. He simply has ALL of me. A depth of trust I’ve never known.
Jesus is MY PERSON! I know Him, and I know what He says about me. He tells me how much my Father loves me and delights in me. He takes me back to walk the places He’s been. He delivers on His promises and His words carry weight with me. In fact, I put ALL my weight on Him. This is the only time in my life I can’t fill empty space in, “_____ is my person.”
Ps. If you’re about to ask me to meet up for an intervention, I am NOT lacking in the friend department. See Figures A-D above for the only evidence I need. Jesus is MY PERSON and these are MY PEOPLE! T-Squad is going to be known as “THAT” Squad. That squad that was more united than anyone has ever witnessed in the history of World Race. “How can you love someone so much, you just met?” You know the movie, well it plays in my head when I think of my squad. I can remember during worship thinking I really have to restrain myself from hugging all of these beautiful people, and just when I said I especially want to hug that one, she turned around and hugged me without warning. That was my Father hugging me. These were MY PEOPLE in the trenches with me during airport simulation, community tent night, build-a bear I mean build a shelter night when the monsoon came to Gainesville. These were MY PEOPLE digging with unclean hands into the same bowl as me, singing in the shower beside me, and even laying ON me injured and another time in worship. These were MY PEOPLE I gave unexpected but welcomed massages to, fed, and clothed…true story. These were MY PEOPLE I cried with, to, and for. These were MY PEOPLE chosen for such a time as this. These are MY PEOPLE!
And my team, let me just tell you, not one dry eye in the room when we were placed together. Who seeks out the most dysfunctional team during team building and a leader who hasn’t led before or prefers to let another take the lead, and then throws in the innocent who had nothing to do with the disfunction? Someone who has eyes to see what you can’t. Not one moment passed that we didn’t love each other individually, but we (we as in 6 of the 7) had absolutely no desire to entertain this foolish idea of working together as a unit. But it wasn’t foolish. Yes, I feared being a project of AIM, but that was never their intention. They saw something in us and created space to let it shine, let it shine 🙂 Someday I may be singing, “Let it stretch. let it stretch,” noticing the challenge it presents but embracing it.
I adore our team leader. I treasure her friendship. She supports how we are uniquely gifted, affirms our identity in Christ, and I love coming alongside her to celebrate what God is up to in this daughter of His. And this mess we call Team Undivided, we love each other and will fight to more than just work, because division is not an option. We’ve had a blast checking in on GroupMe asking packing questions, praying when prayer is needed, and praying because prayer is ALWAYS needed.
Our team name came from my quiet time digging into His word months before Training Camp. I literally was reading 1 Corinthians 12 and wrote TEAM UNDIVIDED 2015 in my Bible. We took the night to see if anything else surfaced, and BOOM we all agreed to wear it proudly and fight for it to always be true. Those women you see above are fiercely beautiful and destined for greatness. He delights in us, and we are going to see like never before, with His eyes, stoop as our highest calling on this planet, give hilariously of ourselves, and love inexplicably leading others to our EVERYTHING. We are strong women of God. We are HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, AND REDEEMED! This is where those avid readers of my blog call out, “HRAR!” The only man on our team is Jesus! Is there anything He can’t handle? I have a prayer for our team and truth to pocket. The truth is above in Hebrews, but the prayer comes from lyrics I sang on my last Sunday worshipping with my church family. Swapping out “me” for “us,” we sing.
“Leave us astounded. Leave us amazed. Show us your glory. Let heaven invade. We’re waiting with worship. We’re waiting with praise. For the almighty presence of God to invade.”
