WOW! God really blew me away this month. Our job of clearing land could not have been more fun and refreshing for me. We tore down old bamboo and mowed down thick thistle, then set it all on fire! I felt like I was back camping with my parents, starting fires with my dad. It felt so great to get a fire going the next day off of yesterday's hot coals.
The Lord was also a fire starter in my heart this month. One day during a fast, I dug deep with Jesus about how I make him my identity. Turns out it's really easy. I asked and he answered with, "Live in my love." All I have to do is know that I am a beloved daughter. There is no initiation, there are no tasks to be done, there is no term paper to write, there are no obstacles to overcome. You simply believe with your whole heart, your whole mind and your whole soul that God loves you so much that He sacrificed His son to live with you in eternity. I've heard that verse countless times and finally it sank in this month: GOD LOVES ME! I don't need some major miracle or sign from Him to know this, He says it and so it's truth.
I've come to take in a lot of God's truth this month. Our God is a redeeming God. Our God is a forgiving God. Our God speaks to us. It's us who get in the way of allowing God to share these amazing gifts with us. He hands them out left and right, but we so often ignore them, or toss them aside not believing we are worthy.
Hearing the testimony of the girl who inspired the organization Remember Nhu humbled me. How she was able to go through all that trauma and walk away without feeling bitter is so beyond my comprehension. Meeting a five year old girl who laughs and enjoys life after being raped escapes my understanding. There are so many more stories of God's redeeming love that pierced my heart this month, I tear up at the computer just thinking about them all. It took nearly 34 years to let this all make the connection between my head and my heart, but God is not one to give up on us. Even after 10 years of a full time teaching job, living on my own, and a rocky road to knowing Jesus; God still called me out and onto this Kingdom Journey. If you are thinking that there is no way for you to experience these things, just ask God to make it happen and He will.
