When I asked several people this is what I received….
Carly is, an encourager. She is a comforter and cares about people in such a unique way. She inspires others, has a nurturing heart, is brave beyond what she believes, loves others so well, her inner beauty shines just as much as her outter, has the ability to impact people she might not even know, and is wise beyond her years.
When I first read some of these responses I was shocked. If you would’ve asked me 6 months ago who I thought I was, an encourager, wise, impactful, were not words I would have used.
When I though of myself the first things to come to mind were strong, independent, and determined. Words that yes describe me, but don’t go to the depths of who I am.
If you were to ask me today who I am, my response would be different and here’s why.
I have been out on the field now for 4 months and the growth I’ve gone through is nothing short of incredible. I didn’t know it was possible to change so much in such a short amount of time but I’m proof it’s possible.
Over these last couple of months God has been walking me through reinventing my identity. He has taken the person I was, or believed I was, and completely shined a light on the woman I actually am.
He has pushed me into the emotional side of who I am. If you met me a year ago emotional is not even close to a word you would’ve used to describe me, but now, now I have clung to the beauty in emotion and the way it has the power to create joy, and strength in the depths of your heart. As I tell my squad “feeling allll the feeling!!!!”
He has shown me the wisdom I carry I had no idea was there. For years people have always told me I was old soul, but what I didn’t know was that “old soul” was just covering the gift of wisdom God gave me. I’m learning that I look at situations with a different perspective than most and being on the race that has become more known to me. I’m an opened minded person who loves to learn but not just in a classroom. I love to learn from people. From their experiences and their beliefs. I love to learn the things I can’t from behind a desk. This relational side of me is where I believe I gain a lot of my wisdom and where God is showing me I shine the most. Wise was never something I genuinely thought I could be, but God is sure showing me that what I believe is nothing compared to the person He created me to be.
God has shown me the beauty I hold. This world does a good job of making young girls question their beauty and who they are. I was one of those girls for as long as I can remember. I didn’t believe in who I was and beautiful wasn’t a word I would have used in a million years to describe me. Since being on the race God has shown me the true beauty I carry inside and out. He has shown me in the way He paints the sky in stars at night, in the way the mountains look so big but so strong, in how the ocean hits the shore and sounds like a melody. God has shown me my beauty in the world around me because how could we deny the beauty we carry when the same God who made us made the mountains, stars, sunsets, and oceans.
Within the last couple of days God has continued to reinvent my identity in showing me I’m an encourager. For me hearing that for the first time was strange. When I think encourager I don’t think Carly Owen, but that’s a gift my team has pulled out of me the most. Our ministry this month is baking Christmas bread (Pan De Pascua) and if you know me you know the one place I love most in this world is a kitchen. For me the kitchen is a safe place, it’s where I find happiness when I’m sad, where the best conversations happen, where the most love is felt, and where friends turn to family. If cooking was a love language that would be my number one to give away. Coming into this month I was given the chance to be “head” cook in the kitchen for bread making. For me that title didn’t mean much because when it comes to ministry and cooking for me not one person can be above anyone else, but I took it and have done my best to lead in the ways I can. It wasn’t until our last team time I realized what an impact I can make in somewhere as small as a kitchen. The majority of my team gave me the feedback that I was an encourager, especially in the kitchen. I could have easily been demanding and tell everyone what to do, but instead I let them do the job they want and even when there’s batter all over the floors, the molds are a mess, we’re two batches short, and I’m having a complete breakdown, I continue to encourage them through it and laugh right along side of them. At first I didn’t think what I was doing was a big deal, but then I realized the the gift God gave me of being encouraging carries a lot more weight than I thought. My words have power and that’s something I can’t wait to continue growing it.
In four short months God has taken me and made me new. He has healed wounds, reconstructed my definition of beauty, given me strength, and has shown me the path of self growth He has planned out for me. I changed in 100 days and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me the in next 100!!!!! GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!!!!
