This past month in Nepal was hard. Really hard. Challenges were thrown at me from all angles. It was rough, but so sweet because every single time I saw God show up so clearly to make something beautiful out of every situation. I was broken over and over again as I learned that there's no possible way for me to do anything on my own. I'm completely dependent on God. It's a hard lesson to learn, but as I walked through it, I found myself accomplishing things, through His power and grace, that I never imagined for myself.
This month God brought me through the bus accident, one of my best friends on the Race leaving, being stuck inside wanting to have an adventure, body image issues, hiking 7 mountains in 3 days, seeing injustice with the street kids, and many other things. Each day brought a new challenge of some sort, but by the end of the day, God's faithfulness was revealed.
For the past three months, my teammates told me over and over "Speak up! You have a beautiful voice. Your words are powerful." I was so frustrated with myself because I wanted to speak up. I thought, if I really believe that God came down to earth as Jesus to sacrifice Himself so that we can have a relationship with Him, that's something to shout about. If I really believe that, I should be stopping people on the street to tell them the Good News. But I couldn't. As I was broken this month, God was able to work through me. I found myself suggesting an impromptu Bible study with a new believer and stepping up to lead group prayers for people. I found myself speaking words of truth and comfort to people. I surprised myself. I couldn't believe words that were coming out of my mouth, because I wasn't the one speaking them.
If God can get me through climbing up stone steps for 8 1/2 hours, He can get you through anything. If He can give me the boldness to open my mouth and let Him speak through me, He can do miraculous things through you. If God can give me peace and comfort when I don't understand His ways, He can do the same for you.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
— 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (ESV)
Below is a video with my song for the month: Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle. Enjoy.
