Hello friends!
I’m so excited to share everything that has been happening this week. I flew into Georgia to spend four days of training with my squad. I slept, ate, and attended sessions with my team, and they are already family to me. My spirit is so full. To give a little context, I am sitting in the Houston airport, trying to find a moment of quiet to reflect before I get on a plane to Quito in a couple of hours. It feels very surreal and beautiful.
I went to three or four sessions a day during training that were full of spirit food that I soaked up, but I felt led to share something I learned about forgiveness. Because we had such little time together, we were thrown right into the deep stuff. A wonderful man named Dion left me feeling so convicted of what I was holding in my heart.
I learned that forgiveness is a requirement, not a suggestion. God does not want this of us for the offender’s sake but rather our own. We all already know this of course, but where it got hard for me was when I realized I have been completely disregarding forgiving myself. When I refuse to give the responsibility to the Lord, I carry the weight of shame everywhere I go. The Holy Spirit gave me so many words through so many different people this week telling me it is time to let go of the spirit of self-righteousness. I realized that I carry the shame and the glory of my life and that it is not the way it is meant to be nor is it the way I want my life to be. It is time to forgive myself as the Lord has already done for me.
I ask that you keep me in your prayers this week as I settle into Quito and come to know my ministry host. Please be praying for strength and keen awareness of how God is guiding me towards freedom.
A few verses to read with me:
Isaiah 43:25
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Psalm 103:2-3
Blessings!
