If you were to ask me on my 20th birthday how I felt about where I was and what I was doing, I would have shrugged and told you that I thought I made a mistake when I moved to Iowa. Don’t get me wrong, things were going just fine. I liked school; I had a good job; and my relationship with my family was the best that it had ever been. But there wasn’t excitement or passion or fear of losing something. I was worried at how normal things were in my life. There was no crisis, no hurdle, and no boat to jump out of. I vividly remember that on my 20th birthday, I lay awake for the better part of the night asking God to take me somewhere I would never dream of going. I asked Him to draw me out of complacency, I asked him to show me a better way of living, and I asked Him if I could go on an adventure.
I’m looking back now with a smile on my face because the Lord has been gracious to me in the midst of my doubts and has answered my prayer. I celebrated my 21st birthday on Saturday and it was an awesome and humbling time to reflect on the past year and thank God for all He has brought me through and all that He is bringing me to. I am just seven short weeks away from my launch to Thailand with my team. As I struggle to wrap my mind around why the Lord would choose me for something like this, I am reminded by my best friend that the Lord delights in doing good for us. He doesn’t ask us to jump out of the boat for the purpose of watching us sink. He delights in doing us good with all His heart and all His soul (Jeremiah 32:41). He asks us to jump out of the boat because that’s where He is, and the adventure begins in His arms.
So, cheers to this next year and all that it will bring! I will be wildly out of my element, and I’m excited to share that with all of you! Truly, if the Lord can use me, then He can use anyone.
