Greece-
On February 5th, 2013 (God willing and the creek don't rise) I will be hopping on a plane to Athens, Greece to work with CRU (http://www.cru.org) from February until May. My teammates and I will be pioneering (I've always wanted to be a pioneer woman!) CRU Abroad (http://www.cruabroad.com/Cru_Abroad/Cru_Abroad.html), and working with the stint team that is already there. Many people have been asking me whether I am excited for this opportunity- the answer is YES! I have no idea what to expect as we are the first ones to go, but I see this as a blessing. It's a huge step for me to be enthusiastic about the unknown, but I also have no expectations, which I think will be a blessing. No expectations can have a negative connotation, but for me it means that I will be entrusting my time in Greece to the Lord, fixing my eyes on Jesus, and excitedly watch where He leads me and my team.
Gratitude-
Ohhh gratitude, you have been a huge victory in my walk with Jesus and have brought me JOY! Last year I read the book 1000 gifts by Ann Voskamp (read it. It will change you!), and the Lord used that book in my life to break down the years of anxiety and sometimes negativity that often followed me. I've heard the term prosperity gospel, and I think it means believing that as a follower of Christ, life will be hunky dory most of the time, and God will bless you because you follow Him. Correct me if I'm wrong, I am not a theological scholar by any means. Anyway, back to prosperity gospel, I think it's silly, but it could also be interpreted this way-- as Christians we have the ability to see our lives through eyes of grace. We are so prosperous because of His gospel. If we have Christ, and His Holy Spirit is living in us, we are able to see the world in a different way.
This quote somewhat sums up the book
“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.” -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
There are huge faith building and awe inspiring moments in our daily lives, but there are also glimpses of the Lord and His goodness no matter where we are, and this book has helped me view my life through eyes of thanksgiving.
Grace-
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:14-16
During the month of December, and the season of Advent, my home church studied the book of John together. These verses have stayed with me, even as it is January now. I am still learning what it means to accept the grace that Christ has given me as His child. I often struggle behind a mask of perfectionism and trying to be productive and busy. My "busyness" has always resulted in good things, good grades, friends, and a happy life. Those moments when I would feel so exhausted and that something wasn't quite right, I would always concede to myself that I should be doing "everything to the glory of God." Over the past few months I have lived my life in a constant state of transition (College graduation--moving home--starting a new job--switching jobs--preparing to go overseas) While these months have been difficult, the part that has been the most challenging is no longer being "busy". As I have had time to slow down these past few months, I began to realize that my relationship with Christ is not based on works, or how successful I am. This sounds so simple, but I think we lose sight of this sometimes. Anyway, I am learning to receive "grace upon grace" and learn that is ok to be honest before the Lord with my struggles. I don't have to put on a cheerful and annoyingly optimistic view of myself before the Lord. Sorry to get all emotional/debbie downer on y'all for a minute, but I am so grateful that the Lord is continually working through all my hard edges!
Also- this pin on pinterest..made me think of what I had just written...can I get an amen?!
