I am a baby. I’m a baby by birth order and by trade. Whenever I see a scary movie, I have nightmares for days. I still sleep in Lion King sheets. If I had it my way, my diet would consist of chicken nuggets and pizza. And don’t even get me started on those animal shelter commercials! You know the ones… The scrawny dogs looking up at you with those sad eyes while Sarah Mclachlan serenades you with “In the Arms of an Angel,” I lose it. Every. Single. Time.
But the way that I continue to depend on my parents at 22 definitely wins me the title of the World’s Biggest Baby. Seriously! I still bring my pants to my mom to fix when they get a hole or need to be hemmed. She sends me back home with homemade meals so I don’t have to attempt to figure out how to cook. And I run every decision by my mother. If it doesn’t get mom’s stamp of approval, it doesn’t happen because she seems to always know what’s best. Whenever my car makes a weird noise or I get lost in the middle of nowhere, dad always knows how to fix the problem and get me home. He is the most handy man in the world and he just seems to know everything. Today in fact, I called him for help with filling out a W-4. Pathetic, I know. Over the years, I’ve learned to rely on my parent and trust in them because they have always had all the right answers. They were invincible in my eyes.
Last January, the doctors told my dad he had a year to live and my world was rocked to the core. My superhero was no longer indestructible as I had always thought. No longer could I rely on my dad to help me fill out paperwork or fix all of my problems. He was admitted into the hospital for a stem cell transplant. During this time, I learned what it meant to lean on the strength of the Lord. Each day I asked God to bless my dad, my family, and the doctors. Then I prayed that the Lord would give me the strength to face the day. After many months, my dad overcame seemingly impossible odds and is at home recovering. All praise, honor, and glory goes to God for these results! But this story is not about my dad’s battle with cancer. It’s not about me either, but the power of God and His overwhelming love for His children. It was at this point in time when I realized just how much I needed Jesus in my life and how I could depend on Him in every situation.
There are not enough words to describe my love for Jesus. My biggest desire is to glorify Him in everything that I do. I want to be bold and to be brave in my faith. This race is just that. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be leaving my family for a year to travel around the world spreading the Gospel, I would have laughed right in your face. It is terrifying for me to abandon my comfortable life in the states to take on a life of uncertainty. But I am so confident that the Lord will bless this bold step and change not only my life, but the lives of others.
I am still a baby. I will always call my grandparents and auntie on Sunday nights because I miss them. Sometimes I’ll let myself by a bag of chicken nuggets. And let’s be honest, my Lion King sheets aren’t going anywhere any time soon. But the Lord will always be my rock and I will face every day knowing that I can always depend on Him. My prayer for you would be that you would experience God’s crazy love for you and that you too would be bold in your faith. God has called you to do some awesome things, how will you answer?
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9
