So crazy! I am in Asia! It’s been 7 months traveling
around the world, meeting amazing people, seeing amazing sights, and watching
God move. It boggles my mind. How am I here? How did this happen?
Apparently I have mainly been posting on what I have been
doing but not exactly how I have been doing, since a few people have asked, so
I thought I would share.
I am currently sitting in a coffee shop called Mama Lo’s Café
in Malaybalaya, Philippines. Let’s just say, I LOVE the Philippines. The people
here are beyond friendly; easily the friendliest country I have ever been to.
Everyone’s smiling, always! It’s crazy
how a simple smile can improve my mood.
We have beds, showers, toilets, sinks, and food prepared for
us! A short drive into town and we have great wifi! Oh the World Race and the
things that thrills you! Ha.
The ministry here is amazing. We live on a property which
has an orphanage with children from 11 months to 13 years. We also do prison
ministry, college ministry, and a variety of other things. But more on that
later.
God has been taking me on a crazy journey these past seven
months. As many of you who have been following my blogs since the beginning
know, a big theme of my race has been to ‘not be defined by my circumstances’.
How easy is it to be frustrated or in a bad mood when things are going wrong or
just not your way, and how much easier is it to find joy when things are going
really well and you love the people around you and your surroundings? As my dad
has said hundreds of times… “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you
react to it�, it’s true. I feel like I am repeating myself, but this has been
my journey. It’s a lesson that I keep learning, and will probably continue to
learn for the rest of my life.
For now though, I am learning that what it takes to not be
defined by my circumstances really entails not just defensive action against my
emotions (‘not being defined’…not doing this), but also an offensive move
towards this topic…the things I should do. One thing is grace. Grace, grace,
grace, grace. I am so fully aware that I
am far from having it all figured out, so why should I ever expect anyone else
to? I am the one in control of whether I continue to be frustrated with
someone, or if I react to it, not anyone else. I also need to embrace what God
has for me in that moment. I have to look at my situation and just know that this
is what God has for me, no matter what it is. My choice is whether I choose
into it, allow Him to bring glory to Himself, grow me, and have it be something
beneficial, or turn it negative. I choose the first option.
This isn’t a revolutionary realization, but it is something
that I know if I truly lived by my life would be so much different. It’s
something we can all apply no matter where we are at in life.
My amazing friend Bethsaida has this thing she says and it
is something I really want to truly figure out how to live by. Agenda: love.
Only one agenda, to “love your Lord your
God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and to love your neighbor as
yourself.� What comes from such kind of love?
Patience, kindness,
not being jealous or boastful or proud or rude, not demanding my own way, not
being irritable, giving grace, loving truth and justice, never giving up on loving
people, never losing faith in people, always hopeful, and a love that will
endure through EVERY circumstances.
And of course, if I love someone, I cannot help but share
with them the most amazing treasure that has ever been shared with me…Jesus.
Not just share, but truly loving people; every single person. Having a heart
posture so focused on loving God and loving others that the rest just follows.
No doubt that I cannot do this alone, it’s not possible. But with God all things are possible.
Right now I struggle to feel joy, but the good news is, it’s
not about me and what I feel. It’s not about me, my pride, my feelings, me
receiving anything; it’s about loving God and loving others.
God help me to live
with all of the things you define as symptoms of love: patience, kindness,
giving grace, trusting people, being hopeful, and every other aspect that comes
with it. Let it be all about you, and none about me.
