Ah, the loaded question that I don’t know how to begin to answer.
In short, I have learned SOOO much.
In long, ‘the cost of discipleship’, ‘being the church’, ‘honor’, all about sabbath, ‘law and grace’, ‘shame vs. guilt’, ‘forgiveness’, lots of storytelling, ‘hearing God’s voice’, ‘Holy Spirit’, ‘greif’, ‘miracles’, ‘biblical foundations for missions’, ‘culture’, different religions and what it looks like to share the gospel with them, ‘evangelism’, lots of fundraising tips, racial reconciliation, ‘spiritual gifts’, ‘spiritual warfare’, ‘spiritual authority’, ‘children’s ministry’, and about my values/dreams.
What does all that mean?
life=changed.
NO MORE CHECKING BOXES!!!
Before leaving for the race, I was consistently consumed in what boxes I could check off. Read my bible. Check! Pray. Check! Journal. Check! Go to church. Check! While none of the things are bad, they became a schedule/routine for me. I was only going through the motions because I knew I was supposed to. Being on the race opened my eyes to what it looks like to be so deeply in love with the Lord that I should consider it an honor to be able to talk to Him and read His word. The amount of wisdom and knowledge that comes from pressing into Him everyday doesn’t come from a lack of devotion. DEVOTION>>> devotion is something that the Father has consistently put on my heart since I left. He LONGS for your devotion. He is what I am living for. Why do I limit Him to a 90 minute sermon or 30 minutes of prayer time in the morning? I want to give Him more of me everyday, and for me, that looks like giving Him more and more time along with daily surrender. How lucky am I that I get to live in constant conversation with my Savior?
IDENTITY!!!
If you didn’t know, I shaved my head. If you haven’t read that blog… it’s super short and in the top 3 of my favorite blogs, so check it out 🙂 Before leaving for the race, thoughts consumed me. Mine, yours, strangers, familys, teachers, peers, etc. I wanted everyone’s approval and affirmation; I depended on it. Whether or not you liked me had so much control over my happiness. These past three months in Georgia have taught me that I am a daughter of the highest King and that I was created in His image. HE determines my worth and HE calls me worthy. He created me to be loved by Him. Read that again because it applies to you. A bald daughter or a daughter with long hair, God sees and loves me the same; His love runs so much deeper than that of the world. His love doesn’t stem from circumstances: How much sin do I have? How many rules am I following? What are other people saying about me? Am I being a good christian? Reality check: HE’S NOT LOVING YOU BASED ON YOUR ANSWERS! What good news. Shaving my head has not just allowed me to walk confidently in my own identity, but also allowed me to invite my sisters to walk alongside me in becoming confident in theirs.
These are two of my biggest takeaways! I have learned so much that I am still processing and applying to my life. I would love to go into more detail about the things listed at the very beginning! Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions or to let me know what you would like to hear in an upcoming blog.
Love you guys big time,
Kaylin 🙂
