Luke 12: 22-26
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more that food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens; They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Andre is a twenty-four year old from Costa Rica and the feeling being incapable seemed to drown any thoughts of fulfilling the Lord’s call over her life.
Growing up as a child Andre struggled with bullying. While in school, she would be told she wasn’t pretty enough. As time passed, the bullying only worsened. The lies grew so loud in her thoughts that it lead her to explore into bulimia. Thankfully, this only lasted for a couple of weeks. Andre grew up in a Catholic home and the idea of God just seemed so distant. She knew of Him, but never held a relationship with Christ.
As a teenager, she found a Christian church and she began to attend. Little did she know that all those lies from her childhood would come and haunt her again. The youth group she tried to incorporate herself in seemed more like a social club. If you weren’t part of the inner circle, you were a nobody. As she had tried to learn guitar and join the worship team, she quickly got rejected and excluded during any practice times. The feeling of inadequacy and exclusion were like a slap in the face.Andre made the best decision, she prayed and sought direction from the Lord.
Her prayer became, “Lord let me find a church and feel at home.” And guess what? Andre found a church! She tells about the first time she walked through the doors, “I had prayed about feeling at home and as I walked in the pastor’s father greeted me with these exact words, ‘Hi, welcome now you are at home.” Immediately she knew the Lord had heard and answered her prayer, but little did she know that was only the beginning. As she continued to attend and incorporate herself into serving, the Lord continued to surprise her.
Playing the guitar was something Andre had desired, but had previously been shut down. The pastor’s dad approached her and said, “I know you play guitar, why don’t you come to practice and join us?” Andre was surprised he even knew that she played, but decided to give it a try. Before she knew it, the Lord had taken a simple desire and made it for His work. Andre very quickly found herself stepping into a leadership role, something she would have never imagined.
So here we are today, on the first day of our training camp in Gainesville, GA. Andre’s first time in the America and just one of the the wild ways how the Lord works. He takes a ‘nobody’ and simple girl like Andre from Costa Rica to travel the world for his kingdom. Through His grace I am enough.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Take a moment and let that sink in, you ARE enough.
You and I have the privilege of being His hands and feet across this world, bringing not only His love but a tangible expression of it.
