Something has changed…
I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I ache.
Not the ache of a pulled muscle, or the ache of a stubbed toe.
Somewhere…
Deep, deep within me….
I ache.
I ache for people.
Since I was little I have always had an outgoing personality. People have mentioned that I can communicate and connect well with people and in my retail career I have made sincere relationships with my customers.
But people don’t realize that my entire life I have been aching.
When I meet someone, something inside of me wants to know them. Something inside of me wants to know their hurts, and pains and struggles and help them.
This probably comes from a place of knowing that I have had deep pains and struggles that I have faced throughout my life and the realization at a young age that we all have “Stuff”.
Every single one of us has “Stuff”.
We put on a happy face and our culture demands perfection both in our jobs, and families, and personalities. So we throw on our “Nothing is wrong” masks each morning and make it through the day. But the reality is most people have “Stuff”.
Whether that be “Stuff” from long ago that we have never dealt with or “Stuff” we may be facing each day or “Stuff” that we know is on the horizon that we will have to prepare ourselves for.
I ache.
I ache to tell people they can take off their masks.
I ache to show people they can trust me and that they are not alone.
I ache to make a difference in heart of someone that has been hardened for so long.
I ache.
As I begin this journey to 11 countries in 11 months the aching has only grown stronger.
This is not a vacation. This is not just an escape to travel and see the world.
I have 2 days left in the US and I am beginning to finally face the reality that I will be leaving for a year. Leaving my comfort. Leaving what I’m used to.
I will meet so many people this year. I don’t ever want to take for granted the fact that they have “Stuff” and that I have the opportunity to do, say, and show that there is Hope.
This year will not be easy.
It will not always be comfortable.
Honestly, there will probably be moments where I will want to give up and come home.
But I won’t.
You know why?
Because that aching will still be there.
It will drive me.
It will remind me that there is something bigger than myself at work.
There is a Hope that can not sit idly while people are suffering.
There is a Voice that will not remain silent while people cry out for answers.
There is a Light that no darkness will ever be able to overcome.
And there is a Truth that must be told to those that have believed lies for far too long.
God is real.
God is on the move.
God wants to take your “Stuff” and never make you bear it again.
He took mine.
So ask yourself, what is your “Stuff”?
What is it that no one else sees and that you don’t even like to look at yourself?
We all have it.
We are human.
But it’s not yours to bear.
Give it up today to someone who can bear it.
Someone who can even transform it into something beautiful and bring good out of it.
My favorite name for God is Immanuel…which means “God is with us”
He’s with you today.
And He wants to be with you each moment of your life.
Recognize it,
acknowledge it,
and give up that “Stuff” you’ve been carrying for far too long.
I love each one of you reading this. I want you to know I ache for you. To know you more and to see you free from the “Stuff” that weighs us down so easily.
I have been overwhelmed with the response from people who have donated, and prayed, and supported me in this process. It touches me deeply and I can’t say thank you enough.
But know that your generosity doesn’t end here.
I will pay it forward.
I will make a change.
And I will never stop aching for people.
~Steff
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” ~Matthew 11:28-30
