Where to even begin…..
My eyes are filled with tears as I write this. The door to my heart has been shoved open and in the best way possible. Life has become a whirlwind.
One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is in “It’s A Wonderful Life” where George Bailey’s heart gets totally rocked. He’s about to lose everything as he’s helped everyone for so long and he’s been struggling internally for a while, but he finally makes the decision no matter what happens now he’s choosing joy. He runs home with a new appreciation for life after a near death experience and an encounter with an angel. He grabs his kids and kisses his wife when people start shoving through his door. The house fills with people from all corners of his life who heard he was having trouble and needed help. Money starts pouring from their pockets as they’re singing joyous choruses and as he stands there, his eyes teary, he’s overwhelmed. The love is overwhelming.
This scene has popped into my mind so many times recently as I’ve had the wind knocked out of me time and time again by people and their incredible love. My eyes have filled with tears almost daily over the past few weeks as I can’t believe what’s happening. I can’t believe all the angels I’ve encountered.
I’ve come to know strangers who have become close friends and written checks for my trip because they believe in what it’s about. Overwhelmed. I was incredibly blessed by a Christian benefit concert in the back venue of a bar filled with people I’ve never met in my life as well as friends and family who drove as far as 8 hours just to show their love and support. Overwhelmed. People from all over have contacted me wanting to rock t-shirts for my trip to carry the word across the country. Overwhelmed. God allowed me to have the opportunity to be the missionary for a junior high week of camp and be a part of 3 jr. highers giving their life to Christ through baptism. Overwhelmed. Then after nearly being tackled by 40 junior highers in a group hug before I left camp, several handed me money they had in their pockets to support my trip. Overwhelmed. Being loved unconditionally by everyone in my squad every single day, through texts, pictures, phone calls, hangouts. Overwhelmed. Hugging the people I love most in my life so close as I know I’m not saying goodbye but simply saying see you soon. Overwhelmed. This love is overwhelming. God has and is continuing to overwhelm me.
I don’t write any of this to say look at me and how popular I am and how awesome my life is. That’s ridiculous. I write this to say, all the good in my life is God. All the amazing people God has strategically placed to walk with me through this life is a gift from Him. Some people choose to walk out of your life but the ones who love unconditionally, the ones who know what Christ’s love looks likes, they will stand beside you in the fire and as I look around and see those standing shoulder to shoulder with me I’m overwhelmed. For it is nothing I have done. I’m flawed. I’m weak. But the God I serve is perfect. He’s strong. And because of this I find myself overwhelmed in the best way possible. It’s A Wonderful Life.
