by Erica Dutton | Sep 6, 2019 | College, Featured, Life Advice
I’ve always wanted to experience the ocean. To feel the sand beneath my feet and to listen as the waves crash on the shoreline. The only memory I have of a moment like this is a picture taken when I was just a little girl, standing in front of a sunset sky with blue tossed waves soaking my feet. This picture, held tight by a blue and green turtle picture frame from Florida held much more than a memory I vaguely remember. It was the very essence of being a little kid, care free, with a childlike faith. A time of being hopeful and willing to chase big dreams and seek new adventures, to truly say no dream is too big for my God. As we get older, this feeling starts to vanish and replace itself with anxious thoughts, fearful minds, and wondering hearts pointed towards the future.
At what age do we start to feel timid to the idea of chasing our dreams? My dream is to be a songwriter and to create worship music that empowers hearts and brings people closer to Christ. My prayer life consists of fervent prayers asking for God to make this happen. I have to truly believe that He hears this prayer and believe that He will make a way. Matthew 7:7 that says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” With this promise, we should hold true to our childlike faith, a faith that believes the Lord will reveal Himself for all that is good.
After I graduated from high school and began planning for the future, my ideal lifestyle wasn’t matching up with reality. Everything I had thought I wanted for myself slowly fell out of my hands. Here’s what I’ve learned the about planning for the future: Don’t hold onto what you think you have to have, because God may have another plan for you. Here’s my story.
The place I wanted to go to college didn’t work out so I found myself in a college I didn’t dream about. But, there were blessings. I attended a two-year college that allowed me to end up debt free for my general education classes. That’s a blessing in itself, but it also led me to some of my best friends with whom I experienced so many things I would have never gotten to experience.
After those two years, I had another plan for my life. It was now time to attend the college of my dreams. I felt God pulling me there, but once again, I tried to make it in my own timing. (Unfortunately, I have a bit of a problem with patience.) I did everything I could to be there. I even had my bags packed by the door. But, the door shut and I was told “possibly next semester.” I was crushed. I had quit my job, told all my friends goodbye, and even said goodbye to my church family. I wasn’t ready to explain why I still remained in the same place. Even to myself. I was angry with both God and my own self-seeking, big-dreaming heart. Then I began to see blessings unfold before me.
That same month, I started attending a new church that opened my heart up to a new way of worship and to a renewed faith. I built new relationships. It even led me back to being a camp counselor for a second summer. Little did I know that summer would impact my life more than I could fathom. God would use me in more ways than one to reach the hearts of His precious, beloved children. I was able to lead worship and create music with other staff and campers. I was able to create friendships that I truly believe will last forever.
All of this led me to now—this very moment. I find myself walking on the sand, looking out into the ocean. While writing this blog, feeling the salty air blow against my face, I have finally made it. I’m surrounded by hearts that fill me with truth and radiate God’s love. It feels as though I can breathe again.
My heart is at peace. I’m no longer afraid of the future. I’m no longer afraid of the hard times, because they are what got me to this very moment. Without knowing the struggles in life, we will never be able to fully appreciate the blessings that follow. Oh, and by the way, in just about a week, that dream school of mine will no longer be a dream, but a part of my present. God is so good.
I say all of this to tell you this. If you are in a waiting season of life where you feel confined to the same identity; if you feel called, but you have no idea where to begin; if you had all these plans mapped out for your own life, but the doors keep shutting—trust in the Lord’s timing. Trust that He has a plan for your life. That His plan is good, because it is. Count your blessings, chase your dreams and believe that no dream is too big for our God.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV
by Sadie Robertson Huff | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, Life Advice |
Moving right along with our Proverbs study, we are diving into chapter 9. There is so much in this chapter that is relatable and practical to our everyday living. Proverbs 9 contrasts the ways of wisdom with the ways of foolishness. We are given good guidelines to help us see the differences in the two paths. In these verses “wisdom” and “foolishness” are given human characteristics so we can easily understand them and what they can do for us.
Proverbs 9 (TPT) begins with these words about wisdom saying wisdom is (3) “inviting everyone to come and eat until they’re full.” This is a simple sentence and one you might not think holds much meaning, but think about inviting people into your space. There is something about this simple act that breathes confidence. It takes confidence to be an “inviter.” “Inviter” might not be a real word, but, for today, it means the one who does the inviting. Wisdom is a confident inviter. Think about that. If I invite someone into my home I have to feel confident that I can receive them and give them something meaningful to do in the time they are in my house. I want my house to be clean and the food to be good and the entertainment is valuable. Wisdom offers everyone something of value. It is confident in what it offers. When you hang out with wisdom, you can be confident that you have something valuable surrounding you.
I love how it says everyone can eat “until they’re full” in this house of wisdom. One of the things I always think about when I throw a party is what food I am going to serve and how much food I need so everyone is full. My go-to is pancakes with toppings like chocolate chips, blueberries, etc. I get so excited and feel quite confident in my menu because I know I have something to offer my friends that is good, fun, and filling. Plus, I know they can eat until they are full because I have prepared well. That confident feeling I have when I know I have plenty of chocolate chip pancakes is the some confident feeling I should have when I think about the wisdom God offers me.
Verses 4-6 says, “Whoever wants to know me and receive my wisdom, come and dine at my table and drink of my wine. Lay aside your simple thoughts and leave your paths behind. Agree with my ways, live in my truth, and righteousness you will find.”
Notice again the confidence spirit wisdom has as it calls for people to come and lay aside the simple thoughts they have had, because wisdom has something better to offer. And the invitation is open to whoever wants to come.
Verse 10 tells us, “The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Jehovah-God.” Other versions of the Bible say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Either way it is clear that fearing God, being consumed in awe and wonder for Him and His ways, is the beginning point to being wise.
Lastly, in verse 12, “So it is to your advantage to be wise. But to ignore the counsel of wisdom is to invite trouble into your life.” This puts it pretty plan to us–wisdom is a wildly huge advantage in your life. Take its invitation! Don’t let it pass you by.
Now, let’s look at the foolish ways. For the most part, I think foolishness and the trouble it causes is pretty obvious. If I am being real with you, 99.9% of the foolish things I have done were done knowing it was not a smart idea. Like all the signs pointed to it being a bad idea, but I went ahead and did the foolish thing.
One time a friend and I thought it would be super cool to stay in a rental cabin in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We thought we were being adventurous. While it sounded fun, there was a ring of crazy to the idea. Well, we proceeded to go to this cabin at 10:00 at night. I had spoken at an event so we couldn’t go any earlier. The drive up was sketchy, but we continued on!
When we got in the cabin there was pictures of bears all over the walls; there were bear blankets, bear lamp shades, bear wallpaper, and, for crying out loud, I think there were bear shower curtains. Everywhere we looked there were signs telling us there might be a bear in the area, still we decided to stay. Sure enough at 3:00 a.m. we both woke up to a BEAR scratching and growling on the outside of the cabin! Like a good pastor, I’m just going to ask someone to say, “THE SIGNS OF FOOLISHNESS ARE LOUD!”
Remember Proverbs gives human characteristics so we can understand the word better. One translations describes foolishness as a woman named Folly who is ignorant and doesn’t even know she is ignorant. Another translation says the woman folly is LOUD. Well, foolishness can definitely be loud, but we just push ahead because it also sounds fun. Right?
Let’s look at the TPT versions together because it really explains itself so well.
Proverbs 9:13-18
There is a spirit named Foolish, who is boisterous and brash; she’s seductive and restless. And there she sits at the gateway to the high places, on her throne overlooking the city. She preaches to all who walk by her who are clueless as to what is happening.
“Come home with me.” She invites those who are easily led astray, saying,
“Illicit sex is the best sex of all. Our secret affair will be sweeter than all others.”
Little do they know when they answer her call that she dwells among the spirits of the dead,
and all her guests soon become citizens of hell!
Like my fun adventure to the woods, foolishness calls us in with things that sound fun, good and pleasing, but notice that only those who are clueless listen to her foolish ways. If I would have listened to the wisdom that was trying to warn me, I probably would have turned around that night.
Wisdom and foolishness both offers sign. When we are faced with life choices, if we would just stop for a second to open our eyes so we can see the signs and let our ears to hear what the invitation is really saying, then we will be able to discern whether it is wisdom or foolishness knocking at our door.
Here are some things you can ask yourself:
When you walk into the door, will you leave full or will you face a bear scratching at your door?
“What did the signs say?”
“Am I really paying attention or am I just looking for fun?”
And finally…
Keep your focus on the Lord and the path to wisdom will open up to you.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!
XO,
Sadie
by Laura Conaway | Aug 30, 2019 | Life Advice
Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month’s post from our LO Fam member, Laura! If you want to know more, check out our online community of sisters here!
I want you to take a moment to think back to your childhood. As a kid, maybe at camp, or at some point in your teen years, did you ever do the trust-fall? The one where someone stands behind you and you’re told to let yourself fall back. If all goes as planned, you fall and the person behind you catches you in his or her arms.
I did this one year at camp, and it was quite scary! I had just met the kids who offered to catch me two days prior, so I didn’t know their track record. I had no assurance that they would actually catch me. It didn’t happen to me, but maybe some of you had someone prank you, and you ended up landing hard on your back on the ground. As a teen, this exercise may appear to be the most challenging expression of trust, however, there are bigger scenarios in life where trust is required. Those times will be difficult and downright scary!
I’m a 6 on the Enneagram test. (If y’all haven’t taken it yet or don’t know what I’m talking about, I highly recommend looking into it!) As a 6, I can be fiercely loyal, dedicated, and hard-working. However, I struggle with needing to feel safe and secure. I need to know that everything is all right.
Yet, that assurance can be difficult because it requires trust. And trust comes when another factor is added.
Control.
The biggest challenge in trusting someone or something is when the circumstances feel out of control. Dare I say, out of mine or your control.
For a long time, trust was a conditional concept for me because of this exact reason. When it came to my faith, I would be okay trusting God when there was evidence everything was or would be all right. When life was good and there was no chaos, I would praise God and trust Him. All was good until something happened that I felt was out of my control. Then I would become fearful. My solution was to bypass my trust in God and to try to find a way to control or fix my situation without Him.
I think God has a great sense of humor when it comes to our individual areas of weakness. He desires to strengthen us to look more like Him, and therefore, He will give us situations that test those muscles so we can grow! This may sound silly, but I’m truly thankful for those seasons of painful pruning, because I am being refined to know God more and become more like Him!
Let me explain further what that has looked like in my own life. Four years ago, I started dealing with some health issues, but after some testing, doctors said everything looked okay. I was in the clear. Nothing was significantly wrong. I would still have days sporadically where I didn’t feel my best, but it was bearable. Fast-forward to now, and over the past year, those issues have resurfaced with more magnitude, which has required more testing, appointments, and ruling out various illnesses. Through all of it, I had two choices– either I could freak out or I could trust God. I’ll be completely honest and say there have been times I’ve completely freaked out and let my mind run rampart with “what-ifs”. On other occasions, I’ve chosen to give my fears, worries, and feelings of control over to God and trust Him.
And you know which one always turns out better?
Yup, you guessed it.
Trusting God.
You see, God is someone we can always trust to carry us through life’s mountains and valleys. He is not like a kid at camp who might prank you and let you fall to the ground. Instead, we know by reading in the Bible, the character of God is always for us, never against us. We can read of the many acts of faithfulness toward His people throughout numerous generations!
According to Webster’s dictionary, trust is placing confidence in or relying on something; the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. Throughout the Bible, we have an assured reliance of who God is. We see His character through the ways He protects, heals, provides, and loves. We see what He is capable of doing: healing the sick, parting the sea, and forgiving sins. His strength is displayed in conquering enemies and death. We know all this to be true because all Scripture is God-breathed, and throughout history we have been able to confirm these events. For the added cherry on top, God continues to bless us and reveal Himself to us in our own lives—through friendships and protection and the gentle nudging of the Spirit.
A passage of Scripture that reminds me of my trust in God is Matthew 14:22 – 23. In this passage we’re told the disciples are in a boat. Jesus had sent them to cross a lake while He stayed to pray alone in the hills. It’s nighttime and the wind and waves begin to rock the boat back and forth with vigor. Just imagine this scenario for a moment. It’s dark out so they can’t see anything, and they are being tossed side to side. This situation is completely out of their control. Then, Jesus appears, walking on the water. Peter asks to come out to him. “Yes, come,” Jesus said. Despite the circumstances–the wind and waves–surrounding him, Peter trusts Jesus and starts walking on the water towards him. Woah! Can you imagine the amount of confidence in Christ that would have required? But after a while, Peter remembers his surroundings, and he starts to freak out. He loses his focus on Jesus, the one who can control the storm, and instead puts his focus back on the danger. The bible says he was terrified.
There is so much beauty in what happens next.
Despite Peter losing focus, Jesus immediatelyreaches out his hand and saves him. Jesus then proceeds to ask Peter why he doubted. Once they get back into the boat, the winds down die and everything is calm. Peaceful. In control. Because, truthfully, Jesus was watching over them the entire time, protecting them.
Even though the circumstances seemed to shout a different story, Jesus had complete authority over the winds and the waves.
After this interaction, everyone started worshiping Jesus, praising His name because they knew He truly is the Son of God.
It is amazing the grace and mercy Jesus extends towards us. He wants us to trust Him and so he shows us time and time again that we can.
I want to be able to trust God when everything is good and when everything is bad then works out good and, most importantly, when I’m in the midst of the storm, the pain, and the confusion. I want to continually praise Him no matter my outside circumstances because I have a confident trust in His character and faithfulness.
I pray you are encouraged to trust God more. I may not know your circumstances, but I can promise you, you have a heavenly Father who loves you dearly and goes to great measures to show you that you can trust Him in everything!
Laura Conaway, is a loved member of LO Fam and a college student who loves Jesus. She love spontaneous adventures that happen out of the most ordinary experiences. She also loves to play her violin and guitar. For her, nothing compares to the opportunity of investing in people’s lives and encouraging them in their walk with the Lord as they live out their purpose of glorifying Him.
by Ben Stuart | Aug 28, 2019 | Relationships
When I dated girls in college, I confused every single one of them. I was not sure how to express my feelings. Heck, I wasn’t even sure what my feelings were! Though the women I knew were all amazing, the relationships all ended up in a complete dumpster fire of pain and confusion. I finally had to take a break from romantic relationships all together. I had to get “me” sorted out a bit more before I could try to get a “we” off the ground! But when I met my wife-to-be, Donna, things had changed. I felt more confident in the Lord’s leadership of my life, and more comfortable with myself. With that sense of comfort and confidence I was able to give her the gift that is lacking in much of the dating world today: clarity.
Proverbs 29:18 declares, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The word “perish” there can also be translated, “unrestrained” or “disturbed” or “out of control.” This is modern dating. When there is no clear direction, both men and women feel out of control, disturbed and anxious. Much of the anguish in modern dating could be alleviated if we mustered the courage to graciously tell one another what we think, how we feel, and what we would like to do. It is a lack of leadership that is killing the joy in dating. Ephesians 4 states that the people of Jesus “speak the truth in love.” Proverbs 24:26 declares that an honest answer is a kiss on the lips. It is a sign of both kindness and respect to graciously tell someone the truth. In the world of dating and relationships, ambiguity is the seedbed of anxiety. What the world needs now is some clarity.
We need clarity in initiation. This continues to be a challenge and responsibility borne in large part by men. In 2012 a national survey of all women indicated that only 12% of American women asked anyone out the previous year. So whatever you believe about male-female roles in relationships, the data continues to suggest that women want men to initiate. Now does this mean that women cannot tell men that they are interested? No! Read the Old Testament book of Ruth. Boaz was a good man who was not going to make a move. So Ruth, a righteous woman, asked him “What’s the deal here, Boaz? Are we doing this?” (Rough translation). It’s not wrong! Yet Proverbs states that a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. I do believe that it is good for men to initiate and hope more will do so and do it with clarity!
I met Donna at a ministry function where we were both serving, and ran into her a few times after that in large group settings. I watched the way she treated people. She was gracious. She was kind. She was fun. I thought to myself, “I think I am attracted to this girl.” A large group of our mutual friends were going out to a movie, so I approached her and asked if she would like to join us. She agreed. So we went and I made sure I sat by her. It was not a date, but it provided a great opportunity for us to spend a little more time together.
After that I called her and said, “Hey, my brother is in town. He’s got this New Year’s Eve thing he’s going to. He invited me to join him and I need a date. Would you like to come with me?” I felt like this was a way to get some more time with just her and I, away from our social spheres, but also provide her the comfort of knowing there would be other people there. She said yes. We had a great time. At the end of the night, before she got out of the car, I told her, “Tonight was fun. Can I call you again?” I said this to her because I did not want her to get out of the car and then have a few days of wondering whether or not I had a good time, whether or not I would ever talk to her again, asking herself if should she reach out, or if should she wait to hear from me. I had been around enough women by this time in my life to know how uncomfortable that ambiguity is. I wanted to leave her with some clarity. He had fun. He will call. There is less to analyze and nothing to plan. He has given me clarity on what comes next.
We also need clarity in the process. As our dating life continued, I tried to always end every evening with something along the lines of these two sentences: “This was fun. I will call you.” That way she was never left guessing on what would happen next. Then, every few weeks, before she got out of the car after an evening together, I would initiate a longer conversation. It usually consisted of me saying something like, “I just want you to know, I am really enjoying getting to know you and would like to continue spending time with you. I am not in a place where I am trying to get married in the next six months, but I am also not simply wasting your time either. I could see this relationship going further. So I would like to keep calling you if you are interested.” She told me later how much she appreciated this. “I always knew where I stood.” We can give one another the gift of freedom from anxiety through the simple act of providing clarity.
Ladies, this applies to you as well. As often as I talked with young women who were confused about the lack of clarity in the process of dating, I spoke to just as many men who described the anxiety of not knowing if a girl liked them or not. Don’t just freeze a guy out and never respond to his text. Give him the courtesy of a response, even if it feels potentially awkward. If you aren’t interested, say something like, “You know, you seem like a great guy, but I just can’t see this going anywhere. But thank you for the invitation.”
I talked with a young man who told me that a girl he had asked out said those exact words to him. As he told the story to a group of men and women, we were all dying to know how that kind of honesty felt! He said, “It was such a relief. Sure, I was disappointed, but I did not have to waste time guessing what she thought.” She honored him with by providing him a gracious, honest response.
In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul declares, “God is not a god of confusion, but a God of peace.” We are meant to be like this as well. When we give people clarity, we give them peace. How do we give them clarity? When John tried to succinctly describe Jesus, he kept coming back to the refrain that He was “full of grace and truth.” We should all strive for this: graciously speaking the truth to one another. Why? In the passage from Ephesians I quoted earlier, it goes on to say, “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow…” When we decide to be gracious and honest, we do our part to create an environment where people can grow. As we work up the courage to be clear in the world of dating and relationships, we can know that it is the most loving way to help each other be all that we are meant to be under God. Truly, one of the greatest gifts we can give one another is clarity!
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church, Washington D.C, and author of Single, Dating, Engaged, Married. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served for eleven years as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries, a weekly Bible study attended by thousands of college students on the campus of Texas A&M. Ben earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Ben and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.
by Kerry Hensel | Aug 23, 2019 | Life Advice, Motherhood
This time last year, my husband Spenser and I were, by all accounts, a thriving newlywed couple. We’d get off work each afternoon and hit the gym or meet friends for happy hour. We spent the evenings decorating our home or watching The Office for the ten thousandth time (ok fine, we still do that.) We cooked elaborate meals together and took way too many photos of our dog. We were confident and independent. Things were safe and comfortable. Our goal was to “live our best life” and frankly, we thought we were nailing it. While we were content with our small ambitions, God had something far greater in mind.
Now we are hot-mess foster parents in desperate need of help and grace. Our selfish desires get trampled on with each new morning and our social plans now include PTA meetings and court hearings. We’ve survived tantrums, bed-wetting and back to school shopping at Walmart. We’ve discovered new buttons that can be pushed, new volumes at which to yell, and we often spend evenings trying to fight the lie that we are NOT cut out for this. But stay with me for a second—this isn’t a sad story. While walking this road, our marriage has become deeper, stronger and more precious to us. We have experienced God’s love in new and profound ways and our life purpose has become crystal clear: to love the kids in our care as Christ has loved us. Sometimes I think back to the way things were and for a second I almost miss it. But, it turns out, living in our comfortable bubble was nothing compared to the wildly beautiful life that God had in store.
We were first introduced to the world of foster care on a weekend trip to visit our good friends in Boston. We sat down to dinner and they told us they were considering becoming licensed foster parents. The barriers were obvious; small apartment, busy city, no family nearby to help. They knew it sounded crazy, but they were humbly following God’s lead. He used their obedience and authenticity that night to spark our whole journey! Our spirits were stirred as we learned about the vast number of kids in foster care and the inadequate number of foster homes. We lived back in Tampa, Florida in our newly purchased house. We had extra bedrooms, a big yard and both sets of parents in town. Spenser is a high school teacher and football coach and has always had a soft spot for kids who lack the love and opportunities to help them succeed. We were just beginning to consider this path when God decided to make his message loud and clear. On the last day of our trip we walked into church and were informed it would be a unique service because it was… “World Orphan Day.” I can’t make this stuff up! I remember standing in that service with tears welling up in my eyes as I sang these words:
I’ll just say yes, you lead the way
I’m not afraid of what it means for me to say
This life you gave is not my own,
I’m trusting you to hear my yes and lead me on
And there is peace when I say yes
I might not see it now but you save the best
For all who trust you and obey
There is an answer no more delay.
When we got back home after our trip, a quick Google search revealed that a fostering orientation was scheduled in our town the following week. We showed up, chose an agency, signed up for parenting classes, and the ball was rolling!
I must confess, for weeks during the process I only felt heaviness. There was no joy or excitement, I just felt burdened as I counted the cost. I cried often, wrestling with the reality that God sometimes leads us toward really hard things. In our parenting classes we were confronted with the horrific situations that these children are coming out of. We were given worse-case scenarios to help us prepare. I knew this was a noble mission but, to be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I also questioned my motives. Was I just doing this out of guilt? Or to win approval from others? Did I have regrets but feel too prideful to turn back now? My feelings were all over the map, but as we kept moving forward a quiet peace started to grow in my heart. I knew I was secure in Him despite the long list of uncertainties.
Looking back, I see what God was teaching me; sometimes you need to step forward in obedience even when you’re feeling scared and unsettled in your emotions. Friends, don’t spend your whole life waiting for things to “feel right” before you do the work God is calling you to. Feelings are fickle, especially if your heart is an emotional rollercoaster like mine. Even Christ in the midst of his work cried out in sorrow while sweating drops of blood! Scripture tells us “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.” Your redemption was at the heart of that joy.
Becoming licensed took us about five months. Fingerprints, background checks and home studies were completed. We bought booster seats, assembled bunk beds and decorated them with shark-printed sheets. Friends and family donated books and clothes to fill the closets. All we had to do was wait and with over 4,000 kids in care in the Tampa area we were alerted of a potential placement immediately. They sent us the information for a little boy whose current foster home was closing soon. With hearts beating fast, Spenser and I looked at each other knowing that the time had come. We said “Yes” and brought in the six-year-old, freckle-faced, blue eyed boy and our lives have never been the same.
This past year has been one wild ride. We’ve experienced heartache, joy, tears, laughter, frustration, growth and ultimately redemption. It’s been the best and hardest year of our lives. We welcomed in another amazing boy, then said goodbye to our first kiddo and, in the midst of that, found out we will be having a baby in December! We would NEVER have written this story for ourselves. It’s been too brutal and too wonderful. But that’s the whole point…submitting to God’s calling on your life is not usually glamorous by the world’s standards. No matter what God is leading you into (parenthood, new friendships, a leadership role, community service, ministry, marriage, etc.) Your service will undoubtedly be accompanied by discomfort, fear, persecution or sacrifice. You might wonder why you should carry on. I want to remind you. We are the recipients of the greatest and most undeserved gift of sacrifice imaginable! So, with simultaneous humility and courage, we can respond by laying down our lives—our gifts, our time, our money, our desires—for others. Foster parenting has taught me that laying down your life isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a hundred daily decisions to keep saying “yes” when situations appear hopeless or daunting. It takes utter reliance on God to move toward the brokenness in front of me instead of away. I’m only empowered to do this by renewing my mind with the truth of the Gospel: Christ stepped out of comfort and immortality into MY brokenness. He met me in my wretched state. He lived the life I should have lived and bore the wrath reserved for me. He rose from the dead in victory in order to purchase and redeem my rebellious soul! As I meditate on the overwhelming beauty of the Gospel, it changes me and it will change you too.
Whatever God has put you at the brink of or in the midst of, keep saying yes. Keep pressing on into the dark and broken corners of this world. That is where the Gospel light is needed and He has equipped YOU to bring it! Your shortcomings are not a barrier for our mighty God. Keep moving even when you’re afraid, limping, or discouraged and let the God of hope work through you. Our reward is a deeper experience of joy, satisfaction and purpose than we could ever have while staying in our safe, little comfort zones.
If you think God might be calling you to bring love and stability to vulnerable children in your area, follow the link below for more information and resources on how you can become a licensed foster parent in your county.
https://www.nfpaonline.org/
