When I think about the last 11 months of my life, a picture immediately pops into my head, of stones stacked high, one on top of the other: an Ebenezer.
I have just traveled to 11 countries, learned new languages, experienced new people and have been on an impactful journey with the Lord and I definitely don’t want to forget it.
I don’t want to forget his faithfulness, what he has taught me, how he has moved etc.
So, just as the Lord commanded Joshua to stack 12 stones on top of one another to remember how the Lord delivered the arc of the covenant over the Jordan on dry ground (Joshua 4), I want to stack a few stones to remember what he has done during this season of my life.
So, in sharing a few things that I have learned this year, I stack them as stones of remembrance in my life so I don’t forget where the Lord was in this journey and what he helped me learn.
He taught me many things, but here a few straight from my journal:
-How to love others that are different than me: from different upbringings, denominations, interests, career paths etc. I learned that the community that I had spent so much time investing in before the race was such a select population full of people more similar to me than I had known.
-How to open up more greatly within a community.
-
How to be vulnerable and share CURRENT struggles, not just past ones and how to humble myself and ask for prayer when I was in need
-
How to be more honest with people about who I am: what I like, what I don’t like and be okay when others don’t agree.
-
How to share more in big and small settings. How can people learn from you, know you or love you deeply when you don’t tell them anything about your life?
-How to stand strong in my convictions when others don’t feel the same conviction that I do.
-How to bring things into the light in front of a body of believers: struggles, temptations, spiritual warfare, feelings etc. It often makes them lose their power, once they have been spoken into the light.
-How to embrace and actually feel the different feelings I have, (pain especially) instead of shutting them off. To shut them off is to shut off a part of myself, because God created us with emotions, while also learning to never let those emotions speak louder than him/his words. I am feeling ____ but, what is the actual truth of what God says about ____ ?
-How to be more obedient. Obedience to God comes 1st. Don’t let approval keep you from doing something pleasing or guided by God.
-How to stand strong in what the Lord says about me. Never let peoples thoughts, words, actions, or reactions towards you affect what you truly believe about yourself, don’t let these speak louder than the words of the Lord either.
-How to love without fear. You can’t love someone well if you fear them. Don’t be afraid to take the 1st steps towards someone- people like to be pursued.
-How to challenge the body. Challenging others/calling them higher is something that the church is supposed to do- watching out for each others blind spots, spurring each other on etc.
-How to empower those around me. Empowering each person to shine brightly in the gifts/talents the Lord has given them makes a community strong. If each person brings all God has given them, we will have all we need.
-How much our words have power. Realizing that each word that comes out of our mouths has the power to build up or tear down.
-What we carry affects an atmosphere: burdens spiritual heaviness, anger, sadness, joy etc.
-How to live simply. How to only own what I love and what I need. I can live with less and experience the joy of simplicity.
-How to be interruptible. Am I willing to stop all I am doing to see the person in front of me instead of the task I am working on?
-How to confront. Don’t let spending time with the Lord or alone, (Introvert time) turn into avoidance/isolation. How can you impact your community if you are not in it?
-How to not compare. Comparison robs you from what the Lord has for you in that season when you are so focused on the past or a person.
-How to not have expectations when it comes to people. Expectations don’t allow people to be who they really are, they box people in instead of freeing them to be exactly who the Lord has for them to be. Let them be free in your presence as the Lord would want.
-How to adjust. You can adjust to almost anything, (tough living situation, new season etc.) just give it a week 🙂
Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this blog about a few things the Lord has taught me this year! 🙂
Can’t wait to completely close this chapter and open a new and exciting one soon!!
