Over the past two months I have learned an abundance of lessons that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have been so overwhelmed by the Lord’s grace and patience with me in the past couple of months.
C O N S I S T E N C Y: A consistent behavior or treatment. OR A habit.
Example: Reading your bible everyday.
Over the past 10 months I have made friends that I will have for the rest of my life. The 48 people I started the race with 10 months ago were complete strangers and now they are not just friends but brothers and sisters.
11 months. 11 countries. This year has not been easy, but an amazingly beautiful, stretching journey with my PAPA. At the beginning of this month I was struggling and I was beyond frustrated.
Over the last year I have had to say many goodbyes and none of them were easy. I even had to say goodbye to my friends and family back home. I have had to leave countries, cultures and people I loved. The only people I never had to say goodbye to this year were my squadmates.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was viewing my squadmates as my consistency. I knew that even though I left them for ministry, I knew I was going to see them at the end of each month to travel to our next destination together. I looked forward to seeing each of them, hugging them, and hearing all the amazing stories of the month.
Then my squadmates decided to leave for different reasons.
At the end of Ethiopia, 3 of my squadmates decided to return home 2 months early.
This rocked me and I didn’t expect to be as affected as I was. My relationship with Papa has matured in consistency like with my quiet time. In Ethiopia I was consistent with my time with the Lord and I was seeing so much fruit from that.
But when they left, my thought was man “Jesus, what the heck; why are you taking away my CONSISTENCY?” I had gotten so comfortable with thinking of my consistency and relating that to my squadmates and not my relationship with PAPA. Jesus being who He is spoke to me with grace`and gentleness in the midst of processing this and said, “Jenny, I am not taking your consistency, because I am right here!” WOW!
In that moment I was completely overwhelmed by my PAPA’s love for me and grace over my brokeness. I realized what I was viewing consistency as, and what I should be viewing it as! JESUS IS MY CONSISTENCY AND ALWAYS SHOULD BE!
I want to challenge you all with these thoughts of:
Where are you finding consistency? What are you finding consistency with?
Find consistency with Papa, I promise you that when you spend regular time with Him, He will reveal beautiful parts of His plan, His love and things about you that you didn’t know.
