A Not So Easy Time Makes The Relationship Stronger...
Recently I have been having a time with the Lord and his plan for my life, and for the right now. Currently I am off doing my best working to shine his light at the KOA in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. What I didn't realize until quite recently is that every day can be a battle. Maintaining that light amongst the darkness and shining bright when circumstances aren't ideal has always been present but I don't think that I quite realized the full force of that until I jumped head first into this mission experience. Each and every day is a new opportunity to see his works in the least likely places.
It seems as though everywhere I turn I know that what I see and feel is that the atmosphere in this place is severely lacking God's love and light. What is more amazing than God's love? It is incredibly difficult, it is a daily battle to push through and know that I am not working for a worldly person. Everything we do is for the glory of the Lord who loves us more than we could ever begin to imagine. Today and this past week have been a little bit more on the challenging side. I have to keep reminding myself I am here to carry out the Lord's plan for my life. A verse that my activities director brought up at our bible study speaks to what we are doing here so perfectly, "for all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."-Romans 3:23-24 This exemplifies that no matter what we all sin and fall short of the glory of God and that even through that the Lord loves us so deeply and gives us immeasurable grace. It plays so much in to the atmosphere here, that no matter who you are or what you have done you are justified by God's grace and that is amazing.
Where we are here it is imperative that we keep in mind that however different we may be from our coworkers we can't look down upon them or belittle them or each other. For our purpose is to shine God's light and share his love; keeping our heads up and pushing through the undesirable circumstances that we may face. "the Spirit helps us in our weakness..."-Romans 4:26 Every single day in whatever weakness you may face the Holy Spirit is there within you giving you the strength to carry out his will. God is so good. All the time he is good.
This opportunity to work here with other SummerShiners has truly made me realize that it is about the work we are doing it is about how we do that work and who we are doing it for. Good works are wonderful and great but unless they are in the name of the Lord they don't hold the merit that they should. Hebrews 6:10 says, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Even as we work for the glory of the Lord for his people we ourselves are growing and that is amazing.
I have already learned so much about myself in this process and it amazes me everyday how present the Holy Spirit really is in everything we do. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."-Romans 5:5 I love this verse so much because the fact that the Holy Spirit is so tangible in our lives means everything. God has poured out his love that we too may love his children. I think it is so important in this mission field and any mission field that we know that it isn't about the work itself and how well we can do it but how we can do it with the Holy Spirit flowing in us to glorify our Heavenly Father.
The way I have discovered that I work is with my heart. I could be doing the lest desirable task, cleaning some bathroom with some of my amazing SummerShine family members, and smile and deep belly laugh because no matter what God is present and so so good. How blessed are we to be given the opportunity to serve our Heavenly Father? I know that right now I want to focus on cultivating friendships and working for the glory of the Lord even when it is approximately 100 degrees outside and I am walking around drunk from heat exhaustion. God blesses us everyday so I want to use what I have to glorify him in any way that I can even though that is harder than I could have ever imagined.
This season of my life is for working for the Lord as the Holy Spirit flows through me. I have prayed for who knows how long for things to become apparent in my life and right now all that I know for sure is that I can't even comprehend what the Lord is using me for but I do know that I love being the body. Of course I fail but failing or messing up an easy task only makes me want to work harder. God is amazing and he knows, he loves, he does, and he calls all times soon (even in the darkest places). My God is a loving God who holds me on days when I feel down and comforts me and gives me guidance when I don't know what to do or how to handle a situation. "Though the mountains be shaken (the heat be unbearable) and the hills be removed (and the work be difficult), yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken..."-Isaiah 54:10 No matter what God's love is unfailing, no matter the highs or the lows we may face, God is good and in that we can shine his light bright. We are the body and the lights in the darkness. That excites me and scares me, but I have been called and so have you. With the strength and love of the Lord we can do it.
Always and forever.
My mission, our mission for Christ Jesus who is undeniably righteous and in him we are so.
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