Wow, where to even start with what has been happening this month. Let’s go with the highlights. God is faithful and everywhere I turn I keep sensing confirmation of what I’m doing. So that’s what I’m keeping my eyes on.
Only $3500 to go until my goal is reached for the launch deadline! Praise God!
I’ve had several opportunities to pray with people outside of church that needed encouragement and that was such a blessing. I also had the chance to share my heart and who Jesus is to me with a coworker. She knows that I’m a Christian and we were really able to talk freely and openly about what we believe without judging the other and I shared about my relationship with Jesus and that loving Him shapes everything I do because His love has changed my life. It was an awesome time, and so comfortable. Thank God for those moments where hearts are opened and walls are down and seeds of truth and faith can be planted in softened soil.
I’ve also been getting to know my squad mates on Facebook and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to banter back and forth and encourage each other as we all go through this experience of fundraising and trusting God together. What an awesome group of people I have! I am so beyond excited to meet them all.
Today is Sunday. It’s been storming outside and everything is a little greener and lovelier. Perfect weather to watch Casablanca. The sermon this morning was on being a disciple of Christ and what that means. There where so many nuggets of truth that I don’t think I was able to write every one of them down. What is a disciple? It’s someone who follows Jesus closely, learning and growing and being shaped in His image. It was so good and I feel like I really digested a lot of it because it coincides with what God has me doing now.
This pre-race stuff has been much more of a growing experience than I thought it would be, but I’m glad for it because the more opinions you get from people, the more you search your heart and listen for the Lord’s direction.
I had a voice of discouragement that really affected me this week but on the same day it happened I saw something posted on one of my squad mates Facebook pages with the quote that read, “Let not the opinions of man interfere with directions given to you by God.”
When I was in Sunday school during my high school years I remember my teacher, we called her MamaMac, was teaching us about the voice of the Lord and listening to Him. She called for a volunteer and I stood up. She blind folded me and had me stand in the corner of the room and she told me to follow the directions she called out.
I was standing there, waiting for directions on which way to walk. I heard one direction from her that said to come toward the sound of her voice so I stepped out, blindfolded, arms extended and tried to go toward her voice. Suddenly the other ten to fifteen girls started shouting directions as well. And they were all different directions!
I had to strain for MamaMac’s familiar voice and when I couldn’t hear her at all I stopped moving. I was no fool. There was no way I was going to follow anyone else’s directions.
That little experiment has stayed with me and helped to concrete 3 truths over the years.
1. The longer and closer you walk with the Lord, the more easily you recognize His voice when He speaks to you. John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
2. Don’t feel pressured to move in any direction just to be moving. This one took a long time to learn. It takes courage to be still when everyone’s telling you to move.
3. God is not going to tell someone else something for you that He hasn’t already revealed to you in some way in your own heart. He uses messages from people as conformation. He’s not going to tell someone that you need to move to India and not have given you some kind of heads up first. Why? Because you have your own relationship with the Lord.
I met with one of my squad mates for lunch a while back because we only live about forty-five minutes away from each other (our squad is so blessed to have two Alabama girls!) and I remember telling her that I expected some difficulties before we boarded the plane to actually leave and once we left it would probably be cake compared to the months leading up to launch! And that has proven true.
“I will call upon your name.
Keep my eyes above the waves.
When oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace
for I am yours and you are mine.”
That verse has been sung so many times it is now permanently a part of my brain. And for the small dose of discouragement that was felt, I have to say that there have been loads more of encouragement! And I am so thankful that God has not only given me this direction but that He calls forward people who love Him and know His voice to walk beside me and support me because we’re of the same heart. If this is just the beginning, I can’t imagine what all God has in store! Love you guys!
Blessings,
Sarah
