Coming from Ghana, the Lord reminded me to sit in His presence and be filled by His overflowing abundant love. This month in Togo I’ve spent time with the Lord learning more about who He has created me to be.
Towards the end of week one, I needed some worship time, so I took my headphones and went over beside the pavilion in our seminary compound. As I turned on the music, I felt a desire to move. To dance. As I listened and sang songs of praise to the Lord, I felt free and lighter releasing any worry or stress to Him. I stayed behind the building as I danced a little in the dark as the sun went down.
Later in week two, our team had a team time worship night. As we all worshiped on the back patio, I again desired to move and dance. My focus went towards the people around me – what the thoughts would be of those around me.
As I started to move slightly, I noticed a silhouette on the ground of my shadow. It was created by a spotlight behind me. During this time, I felt the Lord saying to me to turn towards the light – to keep my focus on Him who is the light. To not see myself and what I can do or create. To not have this fear of man or judgment but to worship freely. To dance for an audience of one.
Keeping the Lord as our focus changes everything. It takes our eyes off our circumstances and onto the one who holds all circumstances. The one who truly is in control.
Another moment this month, I was scrolling in my phone through old pictures. I found a quote I had saved: be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody. As I continue to seek the Lord and learn more about Him, I’ve been asking the Lord who I am and how He created me.
I think this quote describes how I desire to interact with others and love people knowing the value and worth they carry as God’s creation. I believe Jesus met people where they were. He loved them with compassion and challenged them in love to live lives devoted to the Lord. As I walk though life, I want to follow the model of Jesus to love with action and see all people with value and worth.
Throughout our time in Togo, our team has been taking turns leading team times. This past Friday I decided to lead my team in an activity for mission statement writing that I learned at Messiah College. I completed this activity at a leadership retreat before my sophomore year. This activity is a part of how I decided to change my major from Mathematics with Secondary Education to Human Development and Family Science.
This activity includes choosing words from a list of actions/verbs, core values, and people groups/causes. I encouraged the team to let go of any pressure or expectations to craft a full finished statement – to take the time to reflect on their own values and passions that the Lord has created in them. The purpose of this activity was to utilize this tool as a means of reflection and to deepen self understanding.
I really enjoyed going through the list two and a half years later and seeing how my understanding of myself has grown. Even more so, I enjoyed listening to my teammates reflections after the activity of their passions, desires, goals, dreams, and hearts. At the end of the night, I had a rough draft of a mission statement for myself:
I want to gather relationships, nurture wholeness, and impact excellence in regards to or in context of small groups, education, and personal development.
My three actions chosen were gather, nurture, and impact. The three core values were relationships, wholeness, and excellence. I loved being able to look up the definitions of these words in choosing actions and values with deep meaning that touched my heart.
Thank you Lord for moments of reflection and times in your presence. Thank you for continuing to reveal yourself to me and for teaching me more who you created me to be. May we continue to seek you and never stop learning. You are good and faithful – full of overflowing love that never fails. Thank you Lord.
