People ask me to tell them the story of when I became a Christian quite a lot while being on the field… and sometimes I feel a little guilt when I tell them the story. See, I feel this guilt because when I became a Christian I wasn’t IN love with Jesus… I liked Jesus…in fact I liked him a lot and after some really powerful church retreats I even loved Jesus, but I didn’t live everyday IN love with Jesus. I think this feeling of guilt breeds from a place of regret and a little shame. Regret, because if I knew then what I know now I would be insane not live everyday consumed, head over heels in love with my Creator. I had access to unending joy, wisdom, and unconditional love, but I didn’t take full advantage of any of those gifts. I took advantage of the fact that I was saved and I was going to heaven…but I held the heavy burden of planning my future, taking control over all my relationships, and assuming that it was my job to make my life amount to something. I didn’t know I had the power to ask for more of Him… to ask for wisdom in my decisions and relationships. I also didn’t fully believe that He knew the desires of my heart… I always felt like once I surrendered everything to Him I would also be surrendering my social life, friends, and even things like my taste in music. (But don’t worry I still have a fantastic taste in music… turns out God is not opposed to good music) I lived life as if I where to surrender my life fully to Him He would mess it up. FULLY SURRENDERING YOUR LIFE TO CHIRST WONT MESS YOUR LIFE UP!!!! In fact it’s the key to being able to finally obtain that peaceful spirit you so desperately desire.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
Before I left America for the race I went and got a massage. The masseuse started to work on that area between my shoulders and my neck and she was shocked at how tight that area was. She told me that she has never seen an 18 year old with that tight of muscles. I responded by saying “yeah… I stress a lot”.
Nothing is sweeter then surrendering your stress. Stress and anxiety are problems that every single person deal with at some point in their life. If you really wanna surrender your stress you have to have faith that God can handle your problems and take care of the intricate web of life you have spent so long stringing together. Lay it down. It feels so good… and does wonders for your neck muscles. Think of how you love your friends and family. Your love usually comes with some form of trust. That love allows you to trust them with a lot, but you don’t fully trust them to make your big life decisions and know the desires of your heart that you have never expressed to them… do you? Well that’s the beauty of being able have a relationship with your creator…a relationship where you don’t just love Him but you are IN LOVE with Him. That kind of love isn’t just a feeling, but it is being able to trust and believe that His plan really is better then yours and that He truly knows the desires of your heart. He knows what fills you up and how you can thrive in life on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Yeah… but most of us stop our selves from thriving because we are scared He will mess our lives up. So, instead we hold on to every aspect of our lives so tightly that we begin to wonder if peace is just a figment of our imagination.
I beg of you to surrender everything to Him and then watch how this Jesus that you like most of the time and love occasionally becomes your source for true peace and unending joy. The more of your life you surrender to Him the farther you fall. The farther you fall IN LOVE with Him. The farther you fall out of stress and anxiety and into a life of fulfillment.
Don’t miss out on all the gifts God has in store for you because you are afraid that He will mess up this life you have worked so hard to create. He wants more for you then you could every imagine… so ask for it. Don’t just “like” Jesus and “love” Him occasionally… but fall IN LOVE with Him so you can take advantage of everything He wants to bless you with. Salvation is the first gift, but don’t stop there when that is just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t look back at your life with regret at the times when you could have been IN LOVE with Jesus but for some reason choose not to…He has an extravagant life full of adventure just waiting for you, but you cant juggle that with your own agenda… the choice is yours.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
*Some photos from Albania*
some kids from the neighborhood.
life here is Albania is good!!!! we have a feeding program for the kids everyday and we have been doing house visits in the community and really getting to build good relationships with the people and uplift them with the Gospel.
