Turn Aside and Look

Ever feel like you're so fixated on the path you're used to taking that you may be missing a burning bush nearby?

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, 

and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. 

He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 

And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush,

 “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-4)

We all know the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. It's a cool story that we were told a lot in Sunday School. Recently I read the account in Exodus 3 and suddenly it became more than a fun story. I realized that I am Moses in a lot of ways and there was a very important lesson I needed to learn just in the first four verses of the chapter. In verse one, Moses is just going about his normal life, taking care of his father-in-law's flock, probably on a path he often traveled. Then it says that the angel of the Lord appeared to him, but Moses did not know it was the Lord. It says that he looked and saw the burning bush. Out of mere curiosity and wonder, he turned aside to see this marvel. Then in verse four, there's a cause and effect statement. When he turned side, God called to him. It asks the question:

If Moses hadn't turned aside, would God have called out to him?  

In my own life, I wonder if I'm so focused on the path I know, the path I've established that I don't even look up from my feet to see a burning bush slightly off the path. Even if I did see the bush, I wonder whether I would turn aside or if fear of the unknown would keep me on my path.

I do not say all of this to question whether Moses' actions or lack thereof could have messed up God's plan. This isn't a debate of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. But rather, I believe these four verses show the importance of being attentive to the Spirit and to be always seeking after God's desires for your life. I don't want to miss my burning bush because I'm so attached to my plans for the future. I want to be traveling on the path with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive God's next step. I want to be willing to turn aside from the path and let God take me on a totally different one, even if the new path is more difficult, completely out of my comfort zone and seemingly impossible.

Let us follow Jesus' example and strive to live in perfect obedience to the Father and be willing to say, "Not my will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) Let us be actively looking and praying for burning bushes in our lives. When we look and turn aside, God calls out to us.

                                                                                                                                                              Joy and Peace,

Grace over Safety

 

Safety. We, as human beings, really value safety. We strive for security. Especially in America, where we are protected by laws, by dedicated soldiers, by brave officers, and many more, we can live a pretty safe life if we're smart.

As you know, I am going to Costa Rica tomorrow and something I hear every time I tell someone about it is, "Be safe." I can't blame them. I'm traveling out of the country, I'm entering a dangerous field of ministry, I'm a vulnerable young woman, and the world is full of evil. I get it, and trust me, I really do want to be safe. But I don't want safety to be more important to me than obeying the commands of Christ. I don't want to miss the opportunity to tell someone about Jesus because I want to stay somewhere where I know I'll be safe. I don't want to be afraid of the world when I know my God is so much bigger. I want to be bold and fearless.
 

I know that when people tell me to "be safe," it is only because they love me. I too say it every single day to my loved ones. But recently I've been thinking about the implication of those two seemingly harmless words. When we tell someone to be safe are we inadvertently producing in them a sense of paranoia and distrust in God? I know this is never our intention, but let's consider the possibility. 

When we look to Scripture, we see that as Christians we are not promised safety. In fact, we're promised suffering:
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted..." (2 Timothy 3:12)

 

Yet, suffering is something we can rejoice in if it is for Christ:
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:12-13)

 

 Other scriptures on suffering: 1 Peter 5:9-10; John 16:33; 2 Cor. 4:8-11; Romans 5:3-5; Phil. 1:29-30

Paul ends all of his letters with some form of, "Grace be with you." He doesn't say, "Be safe." He talks about his suffering and encourages those who are afraid by pointing to God who gives us comfort. Comfort, not safety. God certainly protects us from a lot of things because of His grace, but we're never promised safety. If our safety is compromised we should never believe that the goodness and sovereignty of God has been compromised too. God is good and sovereign always.

The Lord brought to my attention how fearful I am and how little I trust Him and I think this stems from valuing safety too much. So I say all of this not because I think we should stop wishing safety for others, but because I think we need to be careful not to allow safety to become our ultimate priority. Our ultimate priority is loving Christ wholly, obeying Christ fully and preaching the Gospel boldly.

As I go to Costa Rica, please pray that God, by His grace, would strengthen me to be fearless and obedient. I promise I will not be reckless or stupid because the Bible says to be sober minded, watchful, and to dress in the armor of God (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6). Thank you for your prayers.

I want to use this post to also publicly praise the Lord because my trip is officially fully funded!!! I have received so much love & support; it's overwhelming. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I AM GOING TO COSTA RICA!!!

                                                                                                                                                              Joy & Peace,

Alive & Well

 

Hi everyone!

I've been a major slacker about my blog the past few weeks and summer is flying by, so I want to take a moment to update everyone on how things are going.

The Internship
I can't begin to write out all the many things Refuge for Women is teaching me. It has been such a great experience and I don't want it to end. Claire, my wise friend, told me at the beginning of the summer that it's going to get really sweet right before I have to leave. She was so right.

Costa Rica
In less than three weeks, I set off for Costa Rica. The trip is becoming more and more real. I have a plane ticket and I have the itinerary of what we will be doing. I got emotional just reading the schedule. It's weird walking into something with the knowledge that it's going to wreck you. It's also weird to be so excited even with that knowledge.

*Note* I'm almost fully funded! I'm lacking $363. Thank you so much to all who have already supported me! If you are interested in supporting my trip, please read here for more information on how to do that.

Life
Life in general is really sweet. I'm so thankful for this time to practice adulthood, to be without academic responsibility, to have the time to connect with many dear friends, to make new friends, to journal, read, and self-reflect, to strengthen my relationship with Bryce, to learn how to cook, and to grow in my faith. I was able to go home a few weeks ago for a wedding (Congrats Ila & Gabe!!). It was great to see family! Now I'm just trying to cherish my last few weeks here and prepare for Costa Rica.

Prayer Requests
If you would, please pray for my trip to Costa Rica; that the Lord would ready the hearts of the people for the seed of the Gospel to be planted, that our team would stay focused, healthy, and safe, and that we will glorify the Lord in everything we do. Also, please pray for the remainder of my internship, that bonds would strengthen, that the Lord would protect the women from the lies of the enemy, and that Christ would break chains and truly heal them. I really appreciate your prayers.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!
                                                                                                                                                               Joy & Peace,

Fearless Trust

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies,
they stumbled and fell.
Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You,
"Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."
Do not hide Your face from me.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path
Because of my foes.
Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

One of the first things I learned at Refuge is that I'm going to learn a whole lot more from the women there than they will ever learn from me. Something that has really struck me is their courage. The past year I've been wrestling with fear, and I mean wrestling.

When it comes down to it, I am afraid of the world. The world is a dark, dangerous place where everyone is out to get you, use you, hurt you...so don't trust anyone. I have no reason to believe this except for observing and reading about all the evil things that happen in the world. But these women have every reason to believe this; they've experienced it firsthand and yet they display this fearless trust in the Lord written out in Psalm 27. I admire their courage to take a step in faith and come to Refuge. Most of them do not know of another way of life, yet they reach out for the hope of a better life and they put themselves in the care of complete strangers. They are stripped of all the things that hide them from people and they are vulnerable. Still they seek refuge and that takes more courage than I can even fathom. I deeply admire these women and I'm thankful that Refuge is a place where they can experience God and all the good things that flow from Him.

"One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek..." Of all the things to ask for, why is that the one thing? What about protection or safety or a painless life?! Because what we should want above all else is to see the face of our Lord and behold His beauty and His glory. In the face of God, fear of all the pains in this world vanish. There is no comparison. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." So we believe, we seek, we fix our eyes, so that we don't despair. The Psalms are a sweet companion this summer as they are teaching me how to trust in the Lord, to seek Him, and to live life courageously for the sake of His glory. 

                                                                                                                                                               Joy & Peace,

Great is Thy Faithfulness

One thing I forget so easily and am reminded of again and again is God's faithfulness. He is always faithful. Why do I forget that? He is faithful to provide, faithful to correct, faithful to love, faithful to reveal... When I first started reading the Old Testament, I didn't understand why the Israelites were so dumb. Now, I relate with them. Actually, I'm just like them. The minute manna isn't falling out the sky, I complain. As soon as any danger approaches, I fear. I'm so quick to leave and forsake the God who promises never to do the same to me. Three weeks ago, I sent an anxious email to my internship coordinator with all my woes about how I had not found a job for the summer yet. Now, as I write, I have a job, the internship, and an extra job if I need more hours. How did that happen? Certainly not because of me. I've been trying to plan and coordinate everything about my life for this summer and I simply couldn't do it. Then, literally, everything just fell into place, not by luck, but by God's grace. 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not.

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Thankful that I don't have to live in the shadow of an apathetic God Whose face is turned away, but I get to glory in the presence of a loving Father Whose face shines upon me. 

                                                                                                                                              Joy & Peace,

The Anticipation

My junior year ended about a week ago and now summer has begun. This summer I will be interning at Refuge for Women, a non-profit organization that provides a safe place for trafficked and sexually-exploited women. I'm incredibly excited for this opportunity, but also a little nervous. As I write, I am waiting until it is time to go to my orientation at Refuge. I accepted this internship not knowing a whole lot about it. I'm not sure what my weekly schedule will be. I'm not sure what I will be doing each day. All I know is that I will have the opportunity to grow relationships with some amazing women. For a planner like me, this is slightly terrifying. However, I'm learning to trust God in uncertainty. I read Psalm 16 this morning which says,

                                                           "In Your presence is fullness of joy."

                                                                            Psalm 16:11

                                                  Fullness of joy...just by being in His presence.

God promises to be with us and He gives freely according to what we need for each day. I'm expecting this summer to be very challenging, but very rewarding. My task is to live each day wholly unto the Lord and rely on His daily bread to sustain me.

                                                                                                                                    Joy & Peace,