Training Camp. Wow. 10 days spent “roughing it” with my fellow racers, little food, cold mornings, bucket showers, baby wipes, and…. No coffee {oh the horror!}
It was a time of extreme growth, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and even physically for me. God showed Himself in unreal ways- ways I didn’t expect Him to. But now as I’m home, and back to ‘normal life’, I’m left with,
“How the heck am I going to tell people the amazing things that happened??”
I’ve been wracking my brain for 3 days now, trying to come up with a story worthy to blog. And I honestly don’t think I’d be able to get it down in words (we’ll just have to meet in person if you’d like to know 😉 )
But here’s where my hearts at:
I think since I was 12, I’ve dreamed of marriage. Dreamed of having someone love me for all my quirks, random thoughts, stubborn ways and my all-over-the-place emotions. I’ve dreamt of a wedding (thanks to Pinterest), how many kids we’d have… All of it. It’s something that consumes me most of the time. “Where is he? Why hasn’t he found me??” So going into the World Race knowing I cannot date for a year is a blessing, but also a curse. A blessing in that for a year, I don’t have to worry about finding the one. A curse, because I have to wait one more year to find the one!
I’m a big believer in what our names mean, and how they describe us. I’ve always wanted a name that says something like “Gods Mighty Warrior”, something that so captures the Lord in me.
My name means Pearl.
And I always hated it. Why couldn’t God give me a frickin sweet name, that shows off my strength and might?? But as the years have ticked by, God has revealed to me a lot about pearls, my name, and my identity.
“When a grain of sand, something irritating gets stuck inside the oyster’s body, the animal tries to ease its discomfort by coating the speck in calcium carbonate, which hardens to form a pearl.”
And I honestly think one of the things that has made me into a “pearl” is waiting on God for the right man. And even though it plagues me, irritates me, I know that it is growing something beautiful in me. And just about every day, I ask God that when the right man does come along, he’ll see that in me- liken me to a pearl, that he’ll see the beauty inside of me- and he’ll tell me that, and I’ll know he’s the one. Today I was walking, praying for my future husband, and I asked God, again, if my future husband would know that- when I heard in my spirit:
“Maggie, isn’t it enough that I call you MY pearl?”
Umm. Okayyyy. I get it now Lord.
The years I’ve been praying about my husband, I haven’t stopped to think about how God views me! How He continually puts things in my life that grows me, shapes me, molds me into something beautiful! I stood there for a second, contemplating this kind of love, and I know now that His love is enough. Sure, I’ll probably struggle again with being single, but as of right now, I can see His love is waaaay enough for me.
“God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.” Matthew 13:45-46.
I am that pearl.
Jesus sold everything for me.
You are his pearl.
He sold everything for you.
P.S. Next week I’ll be posting something “musical”. Please stay tuned! 🙂
