It's now been about a week since I've been home from Training Camp. I have yet to unpack. I have yet to take a shower on back-to-back days. I've worn makeup once. I'm amazed at the selection of foods that can be found in a grocery store (Have you ever just looked at how many different kinds of peanut butter there are to choose from? It's incredible…and just maybe a little ridiculous.) Also noteworthy, I've killed two spiders without assistance using only my bare hands…well, and tp. Pretty awesome, eh?!
Anyways, I just wanted list a few more lessons/things that really stuck with me from last week. Some are probably "well duh!" type things that I just needed to be reminded of, and others were more like "ah-ha!" moments (if that makes sense). The following is not an extensive list, nor does it fully convey all that went on at training, but it's a glimpse of the beginning of this journey God is sending me on:
*Some parts of the world are as bad as people say they are. And in those places, God is still who He says He is.
*Rather than being annoyed with God & having periodic pity parties for myself while thinking about super cool things I think I could be doing instead of going on the WR, I should be thankful that God loves me enough not to give up on me & let me settle for going through life as I had planned it.
*God is a good steward of His creations. He purposefully placed Peter, Paul, and John in their specific timeframes on Earth. Similarly, he purposefully placed me in this timeframe on Earth…for such a time as this.
*Being vulnerable and broken is hard and painful. But results in amazing freedom!!
*I've got sooooooo much to be thankful for & need to express that to God more often.
*While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Really think about that for a few moments – amazing, right?! Talk about learning a lesson in forgiveness…
*Not only do I need to see others through God's eyes, but I also need to see myself through His eyes. My identity is in Him. I am His beloved, a daughter of the King of Kings. I am more than a conqueror. His love for me is neverending.
*I don't want to be a Christian who just sits around thinking about how corrupt the world is & wait for God to judge all of the sinners & take me to heaven. Ok, that might sound a little extreme, but essentially: I don't want to waste my time on Earth dreaming of Heaven. There are SO many people who need to hear the Good News. As much as I would love for Jesus to come back, I think it would be rather tragic given the number of people who wouldn't be heavenbound. Life needs to be lived with a sense of urgency.
*Lessons can be learned from the movie "Pinocchio." For example, "
I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown, I had strings, But now I'm free, I've got no strings on me!" 🙂
*Isaiah 61. Read it. Proclaim it.
*All of the awful, sickening problems in the world that I'd rather block from my mind…can't be fixed by my ignorance. AIDS is real, and deadly. So deadly that in less than 40 years, the country of Swaziland in Africa may cease to exist. Sex-trafficking is real. Young girls are forced into an unspeakable lifestyle and can't find a way out. Maybe that's the problem though – these and other issues are often deemed as "unspeakable" and go quietly unnoticed because it's more convenient and comfortable to ignore them. When did that become ok?!
*God loves the prostitutes, orphans, widows, outcasts, those with AIDS, and people from all walks of life with the same unconditional love that He has for me.
