Lessons from Albania…
I would like to share some things I learned in Albania this past month. The first month on the race was full of growth, adjustments, and growing in intimacy with the Lord and my team. God used my time in this beautiful country to teach me so much. So, here we go!
A- Always be listening for the Lord to speak!
This month I was challenged to look for the Lord’s voice in a variety of ways. I learned to look for him speaking through the word, other people, creation, and learning how to better discern the thoughts in my head that are from the Lord. He showed me that is He is speaking to me a lot more than I give Him credit for. A lot of time I hear him speaking and just dismiss it as my own thoughts or just as nothing. But some amazing leaders have been speaking into me and helping me take these thoughts and hold them up to scripture and as long as they don’t contradict it, it’s probably the Lord’s voice! I also focused on intentionally asking God to show me every day what He wants me to do or who He wants me to talk to. I am still walking in this and learning but this month has been full of growth in this area. Ya’ll He’s got a lot to say if we will just sit back, quiet ourselves and LISTEN UP!
L-Live EVERY moment with the Lord!
One thing the race is teaching me is take time to stop and take it all in. Every moment matters! At the beginning of the race one of our team leaders gave us a challenge to not waste one day. He gave us all bracelets as a reminder. I have been trying to intentionally live in the moment and be present with the Lord, my ministry, and my team. This is not easy. The struggle is real. There are days when I miss my family and friends so bad it hurts. There are days when I just don’t want to do any of it. But I am reminded that every moment is a moment given to me from the Lord and with the Lord. I want to be the person God is calling me to be and this journey is the season He has me in and let me tell it’s a GOOD one! I want to live each day of this race and every day of the rest of my life with and for the Lord. Don’t waste a day! You can’t get it back!
B- Believe in the power of Christ in me!
Don’t misunderstand me, I have seen the power of Christ in my life over and over. But I don’t think I have really ever grasped how powerful having Christ in my heart really is. Let’s be honest, I still don’t. But I am getting closer. Our God is powerful! I can’t count the times on this race I have stopped and prayed and then something supernatural happens. His power is real and available to us! How many times in my life have I just not tapped into that? God created the entire earth and keeps it in motion and He wants to use that power in our lives to change lives! I choose to tap into that power!
A-Act and Obey!
God loves using us! He is constantly pulling at our heart to pray, talk, and speak life into others. He gives us opportunity after opportunity to love others and share Christ with them. This past month has taught me to be more intentional about looking for those moments and following through. If you have read my past blogs you have a little taste of the experiences that God has prompted my heart and I got to share God’s love. My prayer is that I will never miss these opportunities. I know seeds are being planted and hearts are being changed by the gospel!
N-Never forget how much He loves me!
I have known since a little girl that Jesus loves me. My sweet daddy used to sing it to me every night before I went to sleep for several years. But this month this truth has just been poured over me like a water fall. I just can’t get enough of his goodness and his love and I pray I never will. Whether through seeing His gorgeous creation, reading scripture, someone speaking life into me, someone serving me with such a willing heart or seeing his great faithfulness, I have been immersed in the beautiful truth of His immense love for me. HIS LOVE IS UNFATHOMABLE!
“This is LOVE, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His only son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in him and he in God.”
-1 John 4:10, 15
I-Intimacy is beautiful!
I have grown in intimacy with my team and with the Lord and it’s a beautiful thing! We had a rocky start (see previous blogs) but we have chosen to press into the hard places and are beginning to go deeper. It’s defiantly a process but we are choosing to see each other’s value and what we all have to bring to the table. We all have gifts and God wants to use all of them for His glory. God is also teaching me how to have a more intimate relationship with Him. He has put a need for memorization and meditation of scripture on my heart. These are things I will be continuing to work on! But He is definitely drawing me closer to His heart.
A-Always be flexible!
This one I expected coming into the race. But expecting it and living it are two different things. This month we have dealt with loss of water, no air, getting to a service and finding out we are leading, change of plans, then more change of plans, and yea those plans are changing too! I am learning this is the normal. But this is really good growth for my detail oriented super planning personality. They said it would be a year of stepping out of our comfort zone. Well so far that’s a pretty accurate description. I am excited to see what other lessons in flexibility God has in store for me this year!
