I am His, and He is Mine

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 4:6-7

Right now, a million things could be running through your head. You might have just had a break up. You might have just gotten into a terrible fight. You might have broken a bone. You might have been hurt by someone you love. You might be having the time of your life.

Whatever the case may be, this is a moment that you have chosen to live. As my mind has wandered today, I have been struck by how often I choose to just be. When I take a second to sit and just be, my stops wandering and looks to my Savior.

Sometimes we take for granted all of the blessings that we have. Actually, we do this more often than we care to admit. We take for granted the things that we have and the blessings that God lavishes on us so freely.

One of things that I strive to do is the good in every situation. I'm not perfect, so I don't do this all the time. But I do my very best. Right now, I'm worried about how I'm going to pay for school. I'm afraid of being forgotten while I'm gone. I don't want to say good bye to my friends. I don't want to say good bye to my students. I don't want to leave the comfortable environment that I have...Then I remember that I'm not supposed to be comfortable. God calls us to live uncomfortably. If that means that I have to fully depend on him for the six weeks I am gone, then so be it. If that means that I won't get to see people that I care so deeply for, then so be it. If that means that I have to lay down my life for Christ, then so be it.

Wherever God calls me, I will follow. Even to the ends of the earth. He is my King, my Savior, my Love, my Father, my Friend, and my Lord. If not for him, I would not be who I am or where I'm at. My life belongs to Jesus.


Are you willing to go where he calls you? Are you willing to live uncomfortably? Are you willing to follow him? Are you willing to live differently? Are you willing to lay down all that is important to you for Jesus?

I'm a lover, not a fighter

But I do know how to fight.
I fight for things that I love.
I fight for people I care about.
Not with my fists, mind you.
But with my words.
I fight for people with prayer.
I'm a prayer warrior.
I will fight and fight and fight.
And in the end, God answers.
He won't always answer the way I want him to.
But he still answers.
Fight for those you love,
and don't ever stop. 

Discipleship

My heart is to love, encourage, and inspire people to Christ. In every decision, that is what I try to do. I'm human, I fail. But I remember that I am not intended to be perfect, that's why I have Christ. To guide me. To lead me. And draw me to Himself.

I've been thinking a lot about discipleship lately. Discipleship and community. They go hand in hand. Right now, I work for my church as the junior high intern. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I started. I'd never really worked with junior highers before, but I felt like God was telling me to. So that is how I ended up with this job. God said do it, and I obeyed.

When I think of discipleship, I think of it as walking along side another person through thick and thin and pushing them to Jesus. It's a relationship where you may have to say some hard stuff, and hope that they hear Jesus saying it and not you. But it is also a relationship where God can do amazing things to grow you.

Read this with me.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus commands us to go and make disciples. He tells us to walk with people through life. He says to encourage them. And when your strength isn't enough, He is with you, always. What a powerful promise.

A couple weeks ago I went to summer camp with my junior highers. Over this past year, I've gotten to know these kids and invest in them. I've seen them go through some tough stuff, and I've seen them seek Jesus. As one of their leaders, it's an honor and privilege to see them develop their relationship with Jesus. On the last night of camp, I got to be a part of the girls recommitting their lives to Christ. They stood up and told the room and each other that they wanted to live for something greater than themselves. I'm not gonna lie, I totally lost it. I sobbed the entire time that we prayed for one another. I just can't explain to you how much love I have for those kids. Each of them have incredible talents, great attitudes and a love for Jesus.

Discipleship means that you get to be a part of someone else's story. You get put aside your life, and love on someone else. Jesus calls us to invest in people, to love on each other and to encourage one another in Christ. If you aren't being discipled or making disciples, I want to encourage you to do so. The impact that God can have on your life is tremendous. The impact that God can have on the other person's life is incredible.

So much of the time we live selfishly in this world. Society tells us to do that. I want to challenge you to live differently. Those kids have no idea the impact that they've made on my life. Honestly, I doubt they will ever know. And I will never know how God used me in their lives. Regardless, we're put on earth for relationship. Relationship with Jesus and with others. Find someone to disciple, find someone that you can disciple. Even if it is a sibling. They look up to you. They want to be like you. Give someone the same love, grace and patience that God has given to you.