To prepare for this upcoming season of mission work the Lord’s been stretching me in quite a few ways. One of which is trusting God to supply me with everything, including things I didn’t know I wanted or would need for stepping into my calling.
I was blessed with a serving job at a hotel here in Tuscaloosa. At first, I thought of it as nothing more than a way to raise money for my goal of 16,600. I was greatly mistaken as the Lord has been so incredibly faithful in these three weeks of working by providing opportunities, divine appointments, and friendships that I didn’t even think to pray for. It began with my first three days on the job, all starting at four in the morning back to back. As people at the job continued to question why the management would book a brand-new employee like that, I started feeling like God had something to do with it. In those three long days, I had the privilege of serving some very kind women two out of the three meals supplied by the hotel during their stay. However, one especially funny moment stuck out. One lady asked me to sneak her Coca-Colas every breakfast. I had a great time getting to add something fun to an early morning and interacting with her. On the last day of their conference I finally asked her what they were all gathered here for and the conversation led to us finding out I had gone to the same high-school as her granddaughter. We had a wonderful time with some of the other women who were part of the organization celebrating for a few minutes. Just before I had to get back to the job I had forgotten about, I was able to share that I was going to be going on a nine-month mission trip in September. That may not seem incredibly impactful, but what came from it was a blessing. A few minutes, another of the ladies opened the door to the back hallway where the servers generally stay and hugged me while telling me she was so excited and proud of me. She told me that she saw something special in me as I was serving them throughout the weekend even before I told her about my up-coming opportunity. I had on my work uniform, no make-up, my hair was in a ratty pony tail and I definitely had syrup on my shirt. I hadn’t presented my resume before them nor had I shared my testimony with them. What she saw was my love for Jesus.
A week before this encounter, I had expressed to a friend that I felt invisible and like the Lord couldn’t use me because I continued to fail. What God taught me in this short moment is that I am not the big piece in the puzzle of my purpose, rather my obedience and faith are pieces of the Holy Spirit which is that one especially detailed piece that makes it all come together so well. Paul says it perfectly in Philippians 2:13” For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”. The work isn’t done by your labor alone, He asks you to surrender to His will so that He can work through you instead. I learned that who I am and where I fall does not limit Christ’s works through or within me.
I left that day encouraged that such a small act of kindness that I enjoyed doing led to encouragement and much needed affirmation from the Lord that He won’t give up on me, and as Paul says, that He enjoys doing as well.
