"Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9
Two years ago I started a journey with the Transforming Community, a group run by Ruth Haley Barton, that has radically changed my life! It is a quarterly retreat for two years with the same 70 people.
I am preparing today for my last community retreat. I was looking through old journals this weekend, unearthing what God has done through these two years, and it is simply hard to put into words. I will try at some point, but very quickly here is what I found this morning. I wanted to write this so I don't forget how this truth, or how amazed I am at our gracious God!
I was so struck when I looked through my journal from the first retreat...
Two years ago I wrote these words, "I want to understand WHO I am in You God, and what that means for my life and my soul... I want a job I love... I want YOU to tell me who I am and WHOSE I am!!!"
Two YEARS ago I wrote these words at my VERY first Transforming Community, and on this morning I am staring at these words. I forgot. I forgot all I had asked God for two years ago, and now I see... our God keeps His promises!!!
I know this because this past week I was in Orlando for a Young Life planning meeting! We got into groups Thursday morning, and the question we had to answer for part of the time was something like this, "What about 2015 has been exciting?" And my response to each person was, "I just LOVE my job and can't believe what I get to do... it is the most me I have ever felt!!!" It just rolled off my tongue. I didn't even have to think about it!
TWO YEARS ago I wrote those words in a journal, tucked those words away, and did not realize TWO YEARS later, almost to the day, what GOD alone WOULD DO!!!
My goodness, there were trials these past two years... growing pains, deeper understanding of the Me God created, and ways God wants to keep challenging me! But God provides! God Gives! God ALONE knows the deepest desires of our hearts, and on this DAY I am soooo sweetly reminded of that! I am brought to tears knowing how FAITHFUL our God is!!!
It wasn't that I didn't like being an Area Director, I absolutely LOVE the kiddos and people I was honored to work with. But I think two years ago I could feel the tension. I knew there was something else I was designed to be doing. Ways I had been created that I wanted to live into more fully. My goodness our God answers! IN ways I would never have imagined, NEVER could of articulated, with people to support me I could never have dreamed of, and through it all He is so faithful!!! Our God is so FAITHFUL!
I don't know where you are this morning, and I don't know what trials you will endure on this day or days to come, but MY FRIENDS I am sitting in my house looking at these words with UTTER disbelief! The God that has created us... loves us dearly... stands with us... and wants to give us good things does KNOW us! Walk in that truth today. Believe that promise today. Stand firm on that foundation today. You are known more than you could ever comprehend, and loved more lavishly than we think is possible.
This morning I am standing praising the FAITHFUL King of Kings... He is CRAZY Good! And to Him, a promise IS a promise!