I’m back!
I know that I have been a little absent for the past few months and there is definitely a reason for that. I am not very good at doing blog updates, but I know how important they are to keep you all informed and so up until I leave and while I am on the race, my personal goal is to do a blog update at least every 2 weeks.
The main reason I have been a little absent is because I have spent the last 10 weeks at a discipleship program in Pigeon Forge, Tn. It’s called Discipleship Focus. At the beginning of the summer (July) when I was leaving for “DFo”, I knew that God was calling me to draw nearer to Him and to focus on what He had for me to learn over the course of the summer. I made a conscious decision going into DFo, to halt most of my fundraising efforts and make an effort to be completely present for 10 weeks. It was hard. I spent a lot of time comparing myself to other racers who have been fundraising. I spent a lot of time being anxious for coming back to begin fundraising again. I spent a lot of time insecure that I wouldn’t make my fundraising deadlines. I also spent a lot of time learning about who I am in Christ. I spent a lot of time learning my shortcomings and that the Lord loves me anyways. I spent a lot of time with friends who loved me the way the Lord does and who are much wiser than I am. I spent a lot of time with the Word and learning how to tune my ears to hear the Holy Spirit. I spent a lot of time learning where I find my security, significance, and purpose and what it looks like to find those in God. So many people have fundraised all that they needed and maybe even more in the amount of time that I have already had to fundraise but I wouldn’t take back this summer or what I’ve learned to be at my fundraising goals because I know at the end of the day that the Lord is good and that this summer was a time for me to grow, just like the WR will be a major time of growth and development for my relationship with God.
It’s somewhat hard to explain DFo if you haven’t experienced it because it is unlike anything I’ve ever done. But for those of you who are wondering what it is, I will do my best to explain. Basically, 49 other college aged people and I spent the summer working at Dollywood Splash Country and doing an intensive bible study called Discovery by Will Wyatt. We learned a lot in the study and then got to live it out in the work we did at the water park. We had weekly commitments such as small groups, one on ones, family nights, cabin nights, morning meeting, chapter wrap-ups, cabin cleaning, study time, and working 30-40 hours at splash country. It was hard but so so good.
I learned so much. I wish that I could explain in words all that the Lord showed me. He gave me a small group leader who has gone on the World Race (how cool is that?) and she also happened to speak a lot of wisdom and truth into my life. He gave me sweet friends who were much wiser and way more discerning than I, who gave me hard truths, sweet truths, and a lot of love and snuggs and fun memories. 🙂 He gave me two really great bosses at Splash. They cared for me as a person and not just as an employee and they pointed out a lot of hard things in me but still loved me at the end of the day. He gave me people who were willing to step into my mess and pick me up and point, prod, push me to the cross and to a lot of realizations about who I am and how loved I am. He gave me a deeper understanding of His goodness, His love, His purpose, for me.
At the beginning of the summer, I read about the visit that Jesus paid to the sisters Mary and Martha, here’s how the story goes (in my own words): Jesus came for a visit to the house of Mary and Martha. Martha, wanting to physically serve the Lord rushed around and around trying to serve Him, while Mary simply sat at His feet while He visited and learned from Him and listened to Him and spent time with Him. Eventually Martha, tired of doing all the work, called Mary out to the Lord. The Lords response was that Mary had chosen the “good portion, which would not be taken from her.” This summer, I compared myself to both of these women. I am a Martha, I want to run around and around and serve the Lord, but He wants me to sit at His feet and listen to Him and receive. I got to learn about what that looks like and what that will look like even as I am physically serving the Lord. I am so thankful for that and I hope to always be abiding in the Lord, sitting at His feet, keeping my eyes on Him, and learning from Him.
with so much love,
Emma
