I’m not sure that i possess a valuable enough word in my vocabulary to describe the emotions I’m feeling right now. But I’d love to share my heart with you, starting here within these words, about why i signed up to backpack the world for eleven months.
Straight out of High School i decided i wanted to study home birth to be a midwife. I got plugged in and immediately fell in love with Every single part of it; The love, the mess, the struggle, the victory, the fresh baby snuggles, and Oh my gosh–
All of the feels.
As time went on and life got busier i realized that there were so many unexplored areas of my heart, and i wanted to try new things. So in 2016 i got the opportunity to begin working with Hospice; Spending my days in the field first hand with terminally ill patients and their families.
Praying with someone while they take their last breath in this world is somewhat oddly similar to the experience of watching a baby take their first. In both instances I’ve been able to see God breathe new life into someone’s bones. It is awe inspiring and full of vulnerability. Its heart wrenching and it leaks beauty.
To say that God has blessed me in this season would be an extreme understatement. I think it would take a month of blogging every day to try to put into words what God has done for me and shown me, even just in the past four months. From what my job has brought and tangible blessings, to heart healing, new perspectives, and everything in between. During this season God has also asked me on a consistent basis “Are you willing to give all of this away for me? Or do you not know that this is all still mine anyway?”
So. What does that have to do with leading worship and magic carpets?
I Believe that God has called me to be a Bold Worship leader. To first and foremost lead people into a lifestyle of worship, but also to physically sing and play guitar and lead people into worship through song. I love music through and through, and i get worship songs stuck in my head on a consistent basis.
However.. In the end of January/begining of February this year i got Aladdin tunes stuck in my head and they absolutely would not leave. Let me rephrase.. They still have not left. (That is 5 months of the same song over and over. And over.. And over)… Ill keep you updated. Ha.
Specifically the song “A whole new world”
Disclaimer: I haven’t seen Aladdin in FOR. EVER.
Okay. Slight exaggeration- I’ve obviously watched it enough in my lifetime to get the songs stuck in my head
Just in the past month God gave me this glimpse of such a profound prophesy within that song.
In the scene where ‘A Whole New World’ begins, Aladdin reaches his hand out to Princess Jasmine as he is flying on this (supposed to be) inanimate object and says “Do you trust me?” When Jasmine says yes, Aladdin pulls her onto this Magic Flying Carpet and begins to sing to her:
Shining, shimmering splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide!
Over sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we’re only dreaming….
….Unbelievable sights
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world
(Don’t you dare close your eyes)
A hundred thousand things to see
(Hold your breath it gets better)
I’m like a shooting star
I’ve come so far
I can’t go back to where I used to be
God’s call on my life is most definitely to live in full surrender to him. If he is calling me to lead his sheep into worship, i need to be able to say yes boldly, and without hesitation, and with all faith. That in the midst of a season of innumerable blessing, i would be able to say “None of this is mine anyway, God! Of course i will leave it all behind me to jump on your magic carpet!”.
So here i go. I’m jumping. Holding nothing back, and holding on to nothing.
