In a week’s time I experience more pure love, raw community, and everlasting freedom than I ever thought possible. The little boxes of my life that had been kept about my beliefs in God and who I was began to explode open. Boundaries were stretched a little further than before, walls that towered over my heart were torn down, the unhealed wounds that I had temporarily bandaged were tore open, my expectations of what was and would be were questioned, my motives were tested, tears from years of pain flowed freely, judgment subsided, joy was found, my identity in Christ was rebuilt and the shackles that had held me captive were broken, I was freed.
I would be lying if I said training camp was a walk in the park, because for the majority of us, it wasn’t. If you thought it was easy, that’s because you held back and didn’t seek what God had for you because I can tell you this, God challenges those who bring their heart's in full surrender to Him. I personally encountered a living God who breaks the chains of the past, He held me and rocked me on the floor pouring His love on me, He had sisters and brother in Christ tell me He loved me, that I was precious and beautiful and that I had the key to the gate that was holding me back from Him. I unlocked that gate near the end of camp and found what I had been waiting for years to find . . . My Savior is delighted in me and He lavished His love on me. I cried for hours and all I could hear was,"Beautiful Daughter, I am delighted in you and I love you more than you could ever fathom.”
I watched God encounter others. He is still the God of miracles, He healed so many people this past week, not just emotionally or spiritually, but physically! I watched the Holy Spirit move in a room, people were so overcome by it’s presence that we could all sense it and people were encountered! People had visions and were gifted with boldness and a burning fire. Men rose up as warriors knowing that God was calling them to something greater. We shed tears of joy over one another knowing that God was working in our lives to change us for the better in a way only He can. We were challenged, broken, encouraged, humbled, and built back up in the presence of our God.
I no longer wish to live in a world where we tolerate sin because it is "human nature" or because it is too uncomfortable to talk about it. I want to live in a world where we speak openly about our addictions, our pain, our problems. Where we come together not to judge but to love and seek freedom in the arms of our Father who can love, heal, and break chains! I saw it happen in a week at training camp for so many. I am constantly blown away by the power of a loving Father. He will bring us to our knees, and call on us to depend on Him alone. He will call us beautiful!
