It’s a scary phenomenon that happens when we are blind to who we have become by living outside of depenency on God. One way to understand what this broken world has made you is to get into community living and let those around you be your mirror, reflecting the raw image of what is at your core.
The Lord has taken these first 7 months on the race to go extremely deep into the core of who I am, which sounds wonderfully devine, but has been one of the messiest, bloodiest battles I have ever been in. As God moves around deep within me, there is a ripple effect that causes the ungodly, ugly parts of who I am to become more apparent at the surface. The most common things surfacing are my self-centered “rights” and “opinions” backed up by my ability to use “past pain” as fuel and fire to get what I want! Can you imagine how well this goes over in a community of Christ Followers?
Community living, and following Jesus is all about submitting to relationships and prefering one another over ourselves with great joy, honor and love, maintaining righteousness at all times, with all people, and God Himself. The Holy Spirit wanted to uproot and remove from the depths of me, these character flaws that were stunting the growth of relationships around me. The Lord has walked me through brokenness and humility, confrontng my own behaviors and thoughts. My small team has been an incredible influence in creating new mindsets about myself, others, life and God Himself. 
This has been the most stretching 7 months of my life. Personally it’s been all about new growth in character, letting Jesus be the reflection that shines from my face. It’s been hard and I have cried more tears than I ever expected I would, but at the same time I am consumed with the Lord’s goodness. It’s His love that wants to see me become all that He intended me to be in character and virtue. Cape Point – Atlanic Ocean on the right and Indian Ocean to the left
So I start my time in India with a new fragrance.
“Count it all Joy when you fall into various trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have it’s perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
– James 1:2-5
