11 Things I Learned at Training Camp
Community is a must!
I have never felt true, organic community until this past week. The ability to live in raw community will never be easy. In fact, it can be painful, awkward, terrifying and uncomfortable. But the support, beauty, love and freedom that comes from community makes everything worth it. You don’t know true community until your pack is “lost” day 2 of Training Camp and have to depend on people you just met for shelter and other needs. Or maybe, it is the moment that you bear the ugly parts of your life to strangers and receive complete acceptance. It comes in many different ways and I am so thankful for it.
Don’t put God in a box.
He is way too big for that. My Papa can do miraculous things and work in amazing ways. God wants to show off for you– let Him! He wants to show you the depth of His love and greatness. Enjoy the surprises He has in store for you and just dive into Him. I promise He will be there to catch you- He just wants you to take the leap.
Brokenness is beautiful.
You don’t know beauty until you are broken. Forget what you think you know about yourself. God took the worthless mess I thought I was and showed me that my true value and beauty is only found in Him. He took 23 years of self-hatred, doubt and pain away from me. I am the daughter of a King and I am perfect in His eyes. It is okay to be a wreck and to have a past. Our Father uses pain, struggle and imperfection to tell a story. He is full of grace for you. God proved His love when He paid the price tag on our heads with the blood of His only son. There is freedom, beauty and redemption in complete brokenness. Breathe it in.
Grieving is important.
Just let it happen. Grieve the past seasons of your life. I thought I had taken time to grieve and move on. In reality, I had buried stuff so deep in my heart that I didn’t even know it was there. Those things rooted and took up space that was reserved for God. It prevented me from loving my Papa and others to fullest capacity. Until you take the time to get to know your pain and heal, it will always prevent you from loving with your full heart.
Learn to live with less.
big meals, personal space, technology and daily hot showers are overrated. This week I asked God to take away all my distractions and to allow me to feed off of Him alone. He came through in abundance. When you remove what you think is important, you realize what’s truly important and what you can live without. It is a wonderful thing to experience living with less and sharing what you do have. Sharing really is caring.
You can heal with prayer.
It really is possible. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t think anyone could be healed in front of my eyes just by prayer. But y’all, I saw it happen! I saw years of pain, tension and demons removed from people.
Go at your own pace.
Don’t ever compare your walk with Christ to the walk that someone else is on. Everyone experiences God’s love in different ways. That’s okay! He made each person with different personalities and different traits. So it only makes sense that Papa would communicate to you in a way that you will understand. If you dwell on how others experience God versus how you experience Him, Satan will use it against you. Embrace the differences and take comfort in the fact that God loves you enough to speak to you in a tailored way.
Forgiveness is obedience.
Forgive others, because God has forgiven you. When you don’t forgive- you discount what Jesus did for you. Yeah- let that one sink in. Jesus died to forgive your sins. He died so you can spend eternity with your Heavenly Father. Because God shows you grace, you should return that to others. I have held onto the wrongs committed against me and it filled my heart with resentment. Not forgiving will lodge darkness in the walls of your heart and fester. It will breed discontentment and separate you from the love of God. This goes for self-forgiveness too. There is nothing you could ever do to make God turn His back on you. Listen to me, there is freedom in forgiveness- but that can only be accomplished through Him. He is redemptive.
Just be you!
God created you! Rejoice in His masterpiece. He made you the way you are for a reason and you are made in His image.
Transformation is always possible.
If you think God cannot transform a dark, ugly or broken heart- then you are wrong. There was a time I didn’t think God could use me. In all honesty, part of me still felt like that as I walked into Training Camp. Satan told me that I was too damaged for God to use me. But my Father is more powerful. He transformed my heart. I watched Him transform the hearts of my squad mates. He wants to transform you too. All you have to do is ask.
Dependence isn’t a bad thing.
its okay to let other people take the reins sometimes. Because I am a co-dependent person, I decided I needed to be independent. But sometimes I can go to the extreme of either side. Learn to balance that. Depending on others to help you accomplish goals builds community, trust and relationships. And you cannot accomplish anything without God. Lean on Him {and others} and you will be unstoppable.
