Do you ever feel like you have certain rights? We are in month 9 of the race, and I believe that I have many rights. Some of my rights are valid ones, and some of them are not.There are certain things that I am just done with. Things are wearing on me, things are annoying me, and things are just getting old. I felt like I had the right to feel that way! But I had started to allow all my “rights” to get in the way of God still using me, still working in me, and still teaching me new things.

“You have many rights of your own. You may have the right to be angry, the right to be bitter, the right to give up on that wayward teenager. But to be crucified with Christ means that you volunteer to forego all your personal rights except one: your right as a believer to be filled and led by the Spirit of Christ who dwells within you. Don’t make the mistake of trying to simply ignore your rights when they are so difficult to lay down. Surrender them to Christ and ask Him to replace them with a supernatural work of the Spirit: with healing, with power, with wisdom! (Beth Moore)”

Last month in Tanzania was hard. I was demanding of my rights. I had not surrendered my “rights” to Him yet, to be honest I mainly just sulked in them. I knew that I had failed Him, but this month I surrendered them to Him: that is when Christ offered me His grace once more and brought me to Selaphum, Thailand.

 
We had the opportunity to teach at an English Camp in the mountains of Thailand for three days. I was at the end of my rope and I literally had no energy left. I didn’t want these kids to not have fun or experience God’s love because I was too focused on my selfishness. I surrendered everything I was thinking and feeling to God and that is when He showed up. My teammate Ashley and I had our own class of 11 Thai kids that were so excited to learn english, but I think sometimes Ashley and I were even more excited then they were. One time we were just laughing so hard in the middle of class and then all the kids started laughing too. God definitely gave me my JOY back this month. God had convicted me so that He could restore me back to Him!  He has taken me to a new place…Thank you Lord for giving us grace and for taking us through the hard times, the times in the valleys, so that we can appreciate the moutaintop!