My Letter To Future Goers
2 years in a flash. One moment I was dreaming about what it would be like to live and serve overseas and the next it seemed I was back in Oregon after doing the thing, only there was a lot in the middle too. And that’s where all the good stuff is… right in the middle.
Living outside comfort, socializing outside comfort, eating outside comfort, working outside comfort and simply functioning in a world that is so different from your own is hard. While I felt so ready to be where I was I learned quickly in my initial transition that I needed to take time to lament the things that I gave up to be in Bulgaria. I needed to take time to recognize what those differences were and let them lead me to gratitude. It is truly a gift and a privilege to have the opportunity to learn from and be shaped by more than my own comfortable and familiar world.
Learning to simply function and then to eventually add to and impact a world that seems so different from your own takes time, patience, and a whole lot of Jesus. It’s Jesus who takes those first meager attempts of obedience that often have you flat on the floor as well as the confident practiced obedience of years on the field. He takes it ALL, He accepts it ALL, and He uses it ALL for good. But in the flesh, it’s a hard lesson to learn, especially if you are like me and struggle with how you are perceived by the world around you, or if you are motivated by success, or even if you are just a bit competitive and love the feeling of a good win. It’s easy to get caught up in the “what I can do is not so good so I should probably just not” But I look back on my experience in the last years and can so clearly see that it was my willingness to say “Yes” to what each day brought and press into this new life consistently that produced fruit in my life. I needed a greater understanding that Good and Hard are two sides of the same coin held close by a Father who loves me. DO HARD THINGS because Jesus loves to meet you in your need! Ask him for help, in the big things and the small, because he cares about it all, because he cares about all of you!
Learn how to celebrate others for their accomplishments and not live in a state of comparison.
Learn to give yourself grace and remember to look back to see how far you’ve come.
Learn to let yourself change and grow into the person the Lord has made you to be, even if that person surprises you a bit.
Learn how to use your time well to honor God, yourself, and those around you.
Learn that we are fully dependent on God for even the breath in your lungs and let that lead you to approach Him with all our needs, big and small.
Learn to have hard conversations and get to the other side of them with an even greater love and respect for the other.
Learn that your presence in every space has an impact, even if you don't have the words to say it, live it.
Learn how to be intentional and stay connected across many miles, yet stay present to your now.
Learn how to take risks and do scary things because there is no need for fear when you are alongside Jesus. The fear has been cast out, so cast it out!
Learn to do what is right, not what is easy.
Learn when to speak and when to allow space for others to probably say what you are going to say.
Learn to ask questions and be curious. Find out the “why” of the other and let it broaden your understanding.
And learn more about Jesus and his heart for you, because that will change everything.
