Dear Steph,
Wow! Can you believe it!? It’s finally here! You made it to launch! Can you remember when you got accepted? You were terrified! You had so many questions and so much doubt! Still, you said YES! You stepped out and trusted God. You said God “your ways are higher than my ways and your thoughts are higher than my thoughts” so if this is what you want then I’l do it. Now you’re doing it! Think about all the opportunities you may of missed having said No. Think about the people you would of missed out on, the experiences, the tears, and the laughter. God is going to do a new thing in you this year. Are you ready? He is going to take you so much deeper, and love you so much sweeter. He wants you to fall in love with him. Over and Over again.
My advice to you is don’t hold back. Don’t allow the enemy to slip between you and your abba daddy. Don’t allow him to steal your joy, or embrace opportunities. Take each day as it comes. Love yourself, and love others with genuine affection. Love people the way Jesus does. Don’t compare your race to everyone else s. It’s yours for a reason. God is going to write a beautiful story for you, if you would just dive in and fully embrace who he is calling you to be. Embrace your gifts and talents and use them for his kingdom! Don’t doubt the abilities or capabilities hes given you. He has called you to such a time as this! Your WHOLE LIFE has lead to THIS moment. You are going to be a different person when you come back. A new you. You are going to see him and feel him in ways you have never experienced. Allow God to transform your heart, and renew your mind. Give him room to move, to grow you, stretch you, and mold you into who he created you to be. Press into pain and grow from it. Allow him to use your story. You know he gives beauty for ashes. Don’be be afraid to share it with the world. Let your light shine through him, so others will see and believe. Always trust. Always persevere. And always be ready to give an account for what you believe. Remember Gods faithfulness and where he’s brought you. He has never let you down and he wont start now.
I want you to be intentional this year. Grow with your team, your squad, and the people in these countries. Don’t miss it. Don’t let the race go by and miss all that God was doing, and COULD of done. Be intentional with growing relationships, praying, reading, meditating on his word, and immersing in culture. Don’t hold back. Dive in and dive deep. I want you trust that he knows what hes doing. Be joyful in the good times AND the bad times and seek him ALWAYS even when you don’t feel like it. Don’t be afraid to be stretched or broken. It’s in those moments you realize you’re fully dependent on him.
This year will be one of the best years of your life…If you let it. Live in the moment. Soak it all in. Journal. Dare. Dance. Dream. Be adventurous. Never stop serving, never stop loving or seeking, and always Choose Joy. Let Jesus take you on a journey with him to know him in a more intimate way. Let him hold your hand, direct your steps, and protect your heart.
Never forget where you came from, but always remember where you’re going.
Hebrews 12:1 says: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
-Your pre-race self
