The Challenge

The long awaited post.

First and foremost, I apologize to each of you who count on me to update my posts in an orderly way. I have failed you. I basically let my blog burn in that Weimar fire a few months ago. I am ashamed.

BUT IT IS RESURRECTED! so please don't hate me too much.

Today will be a reflective post... not so much funny.

I just got to Spokane Washington for my new stage in life at Upper Columbia Academy. But before I flew up here, I had the privilege to be apart of several things. HEALTH Graduation, A Christmas Benefit Concert, Pet Ownership, GYC Pre-Conference Outreach, and GYC.

I want to do a separate post for everything, but what I want to write about right now is GYC Outreach. I (cringe) didn't go on Outreach this GYC because my bestie and her husband were taking me out somewhere special. But I went to the training and gained a blessing.

Was Ricky hilarious? Obviously. Was AJ just as funny? Um, when is he not? It was actually during the appeal for attendees to go canvassing during the summer that something really resonated inside of me.

I sat there while Mike called people to come forward if they wanted to spend a summer doing something that would change their lives. Being in the canvassing work for over 10 years now, I've honestly become a little jaded when I hear appeals about signing up for a summer of canvassing. However, this time it was different. I can't tell you why it was different, but I sat there almost in tears thinking about who and where I would be if I hadn't gone canvassing that one summer almost 11 years ago.

Who would I be right now if I hadn't decided to endure rejection for 45 days of my summer break? Where would I be if I hadn't decided after those summers to go wherever God decided to lead me? What type of work would I be doing if I hadn't said, "Why not?" when I was a scared, shy teenager? Each time I saw an attendee go up, I kept thinking, "Please, don't waste this opportunity. Don't be bitter if you have to learn to let go of your pride and selfishness. Learn what God has to teach you. Follow through with your commitment."

It was a blessing doing something difficult. It was character molding to get outside of my comfort zone. It was life-giving to do something that pushed me to study my Bible.

I haven't done anything like that in a while. Sure, I've done canvassing and leading for years now, but that no longer puts me into a state of dependence on God. I've relied more on skill and training than I have on prayer and the Lord's guidance. During that appeal, I decided I wanted to grow in that. To put myself in uncomfortable situations again that would make me study my Bible more.

That is the challenge I'm embracing for the next few weeks at least. Get to know 240 students plus staff at a new place where I don't have many close friends. Grow closer to Jesus so I can draw others to Him as well.

Happy New Year, and I hope you can embrace whatever challenge the Lord has laid on your heart at the beginning of this new year. :)