I am back at school and all moved in and I would venture to say that I am excited and ready to see what God has in store for me this year. I usually like to close things off when they are over, which really makes little to no sense. By that, I mean that since summer is over I would usually write a whole lot about how wonderful it was and how it is over and things of the like and kind of close it up and move on. But, I learned so much this summer, that it would be foolish of me to put all that God has taught me in a box and hide it under my bed. Plus, I don't have room in my dorm for that.
So, this post is going to sum up the most prevalent things that God has taught me this summer, without shoving this season of my life into a journal and throwing it on a shelf and forgetting about it.
When seasons move from one to the next, trees don't all of a sudden go away, they just change the way they look...
God has changed the way I look. Well, my heart, really. I am going to share with you some major things that God has done to me and taught me this summer and I am going to do it in list form to aid with organization and clarity. And because maybe I don't want you to fall asleep while reading this. They are not listed in order of importance or bigness or anything. God doesn't do anything not big.
1. Reject Passivity and Be Active
This summer, God really opened up my eyes to see that I was living a passive life. I was letting things, opportunities, even potential relationships with people pass me by with the hopes that they would come to me. I was not pursuing others like heaven and hell was real and I was content with the lazy attitude that someone else would come along. Now I know that the life of a Christ-follower is not a passive life. We must be active.
2. Wake Up and Live
I talked about this the entire last post, but it really is something that God has drilled into me this summer. He woke me up and made me realize that as long and He is alive, I am to be alive in and through Him. Sometimes I would live like our God was dead, but oh, He is surely alive. Revival is coming, I can feel it.
3. Be Intentional
This summer was the first time I have ever been blatantly intentional in my relationships with others. I know that sounds bad, but I am not ashamed to admit it because then I can tell you how awesome my Redeemer is for changing my heart in that aspect. I have learned that breakfast dates, genuine concern, and even just an open ear to others can open up so many doors. We can be intentional with small things like our smiles. Sometimes I think God does that to me.
4. The War Is Constant Yet Conquerable
I experienced so much spiritual warfare this summer, more than ever before, but I can confidently say that I learned to let God drag me to victory if He had to. Having Him hold me and be my Commander and Comforter at the same time formed a bond between us that I could never ask against. If I get closer to my Heavenly Father because of the war, then I am more than willing to endure the war. It's kind of like jumping through hoops of fire...
5. Focus on Him at All Times
This summer I was so focused on doing everything that I was supposed to be doing for God and the kingdom that sometimes I lost focus of Him in His actual essence. He taught me how detrimental it is to get caught up in focusing on doing or roles in religious organizations or even the intentional relationships themselves instead of being focused on the Father Himself. We lose so much intimacy when we do not spend time with the Creator of it.
6. Receptivity of the Holy Spirit at the Present Time
I am at the age right now where the whole "What am I going to do with my life?" thing is so obnoxiously present that I realized I would sometimes dwell on that question before I would consider "What does the Holy Spirit want me to do right now?" Francis Chan even says in Forgotten God that how we let the Holy Spirit work in us at the current time usually affects where the rest of our lives are headed anyway.
7. God's Plans are So Intricate and Infinite
This one is funny today because this morning in my quiet time, God actually revealed to me how something that happened two months ago is being used right now. And without going into an extensive explanation, this whole summer was pretty much bootcamp preparation for this school year--and that is so mercifully obvious. And I love it and love Him for being so perfect.
8. Embrace Vulnerability and Brokeness
God has shown me time and time again that it is okay to be vulnerable with Him. Hiding things from Him will never help. With spilling out the very depths of our hearts to Him comes the massive realization of how broken we really are. These cracks in our souls can only be filled with the bonding power of Christ. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
9. Go On Adventures With God
This life poses so many opportunities, so many open areas, so many lost people. There are cliffs to dive off and glowing bays in which to jump. There are unexpected friends to be made and surprising places to be explored. There are mountains to be hiked and battlegrounds to be triumphed. And there is a God with whom to do it all.
This is what God has taught me this summer. Not all of it; I am sure that this list will be randomly added to as He jogs my memory and makes me smile in the most random places with His unexpected revelations. As I start my sophomore year at college, these goals are coming with me. Without dwelling on all that happened this summer and all the people I miss and how much I wish there was a rewind button so that I could experience it all over again, I am going to carry these lessons with me. I am going to move on to where I have been called and embrace these gracious gifts and use them the way that God wants me to use them. I may be moving seasons, but my God has not moved yet.
LMB
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