Over the course of the last week, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting, and I’ve truly had nothing but a grateful and thankful heart for the life God has given me, and the people He’s placed in it along the way.
To accurately begin to tell this story, we’ve got to go back some time. In October 2012, my life was completely flipped upside down when my older brother, Jacob, died unexpectedly. He was involved in a freak accident – one of those stories you hear through the grapevine, but it always happens to someone else’s family. This time, it happened to my family and me. We were left shocked, deeply crushed, and unsure of how we were going to make it through the coming days.
By the grace of God, we were surrounded by awesome people and a community words can’t accurately describe. Our friends, family and community truly loved us like Christ loves the Church. They were there to mourn with us, they celebrated a life well lived with us, they prayed for/with us, they fed us, they listened to us, and they came alongside us and loved us in each and every way possible.
For as long as I can remember, I remember hearing, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28. I know and believe this to be true!
When I look back on my life, I’m astonished by the grace and goodness that the Lord has covered it with. Almost 5 years ago, I was devastated and unsure of how I was going to get through the next day. Today, I still miss Jacob every single day, but I’m able to see how the Lord has taken a tragedy and used it for His glory.
Some of the biggest ways I’ve seen this happen is through my friendships. I have a group of girlie pops back home that I love so much, and who poured so much into me after Jacob’s death. They supported me and loved me so well. Jacob’s friend group also took me under their wing, and some of those guys are still really close friends of mine today. Four and a half years ago we were all high school students trying to figure out how to cope with the death of our brother and best friend. Now, we’re all growing up, living for Christ, and remembering Jacob in the midst of it all.
I am sitting in Lusaka, Zambia surrounded by a community of people who love me and continuously point me back to Christ while sharing Christ with the world. One friend is recently engaged to an incredible woman who he will bring Kingdom with, another friend was recently drafted number THREE to the NFL, another one is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for Young Life, and a bunch of other friends are graduating college this year. I could go on and on and on about how the Lord has worked in my life and how I see His goodness in the people around me.
All of this reflecting began when my mom, one of my biggest pieces of home, got to come and visit me in Zambia and share in what my life has been like the past 7 months!! I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for my family, friends, and good ole C-town. Having my mom come to Zambia was a huge reminder for me of how sweet the Lord is and how good He has been to me.
The people I do life with and our parentals 🙂
Jojo & Momo and our little friend
Victoria Falls!
Some of my squad and our parents in Botswana!
A good life motto… just Momo it
It was a total dream getting to see one of my fave animals in their natural habitat!
In the midst of this sweetness, I decided to publicly proclaim His goodness and faithfulness in my life to my community through baptism!! I got baptized because I want to follow the Lord for all of my days and I want those around me to know whom I follow. I got to declare my belief in the Lord to the world, my mom got to be there, and some of the most special people in my life were there to cheer me on.
Maya and Abby baptizing me!
Some of my teammates praying over me after my baptism! Captured by another teammate of mine, Torrey 🙂
A lot of things have been on this sentimental heart of mine recently. The Lord has walked me through a season of thankfulness and has opened my eyes to just some of the many ways He’s blessed me. Things shared in this blog are only a brief recap of His goodness to me. To be honest, I’m not completely sure of what the point of this blog post is. My heart is exploding with gratitude and I have to tell the world! I guess this is the point: I’ve been in the pit. Before Jacob’s death and especially after, I have fallen into many pits, and each time the Lord has taken me and guided me out. There’s hope when you feel hopeless. This is an encouragement to anyone feeling down, and also to future me. Life can be really really really really hard sometimes, but I’m reminded of Psalm 23 which says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
Seek the Lord and you will find Him. And after you find Him, you’ll look back and realize that He was chasing after you the whole time.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
