*countdown to shanghai: 7 days*
i'm still a bit speechless about this whole idea of going on a sort of "business trip." in my entire life, i've never been in a position to travel for work. well actually... i did get a free trip to melbourne last year...
ok nevermind.
the point it, i'm just still flabbergasted at the thought of it all. this one is different, because i'll be gone for more than a month - 5 weeks - instead of just a week or two. beyond the huge blessing that this job as been for me, i'm also curious, maybe even a bit anxious, to see what the real point of it all is. there is a purpose for me to be in this position right now, beyond just making sure cameron gets his math done and learns to think. the many opportunities i've had already to share with people is encouraging, but i feel like there's more to come. in shanghai, i'm going to be able to see the crew more often and spend time with them outside of the work environment. if anything, last night was a motivator for me to seek out these opportunities more vigilantly.
what happened last night? well, i got called up at 11:30pm to go with derek to see some of his old frat buddies in lankwaifong who are only in town for one night.
God gives us opportunities. they are all around us. we don't have to go to a faraway village in a faraway third-world country to share the gospel. those places are someone's backyard, and we have our own crop to sow and reap in our own backyard. as i told the kids at sna last saturday, our lives are more than just fulfilling our job description at work, it's more than getting a good report card, we are more than what our parents, our friends, our boyfriends/girlfriends, our bank accounts say we are. our life's purpose is, very simply, rooted in the One who thought it up in the first place. you know that old analogy: you reap what you sow. if we choose to sow into the person that God intended us to be, our life would be perfectly fulfilled. PERFECTLY. i look around at the things that drive this business around me, and all i see is selfishness, greed, and pretention. none of it is real. none of it is authentic.
it takes a lot to stay true to that authentic self. first, we have to know who this authentic self is. sometimes i feel like a lot of people, even christians, don't really understand who they are. it's something that only becomes clear when we muster up enough courage to stand face to face with the Almighty and Creator of the universe, with all our imperfections, and really allow Him time to reflect His light onto us. i'll have to admit, being on this journey is not easy. sometimes i feel myself getting comfortable with my facade, and i think it doesn't really matter that much... whatever is really underneath this mask doesn't need to get out. sometimes i feel like it's too much, i don't want to deal with it, i don't know what i'm dealing with... but these are all just excuses. they're just excuses....
we have to fight so hard - SO hard - to keep God's call in perspective. to keep all these things that are unseen by the natural eye but so deeply felt by the supernatural eye (if we allow it) within our view. but who are we, really? we are
OVERCOMERS (gen.32:28; luke10:19; 1john4:4)
KINGS & PRIESTS (1peter2:9)
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE ALMIGHTY (romans8:16-17)
AMBASSADORS (2cor.5:20)
A NEW CREATION (2cor.5:17)
that last one is the key. we are made like new again when we fully accept the grace that jesus offers. all the layers of lies, deceipt, falsehood that we've collected when we didn't know God falls away, and that genuine authentic person that God made is finally revealed. i guess this is, in the truest sense, what people call "finding themselves." sometimes we think we have to go to tibet, or leave our jobs and families, or 'experiment' with different lifestyles to do it. but finding our true self isn't so much about the physical but the spiritual. that's why we can do God's work (and God can do His work with us) right where we are, whether it's an office building or a contruction site or a classroom or on the street. that's the mystery of the Spirit. and i want to live in it.
i'm still a bit speechless about this whole idea of going on a sort of "business trip." in my entire life, i've never been in a position to travel for work. well actually... i did get a free trip to melbourne last year...
ok nevermind.
the point it, i'm just still flabbergasted at the thought of it all. this one is different, because i'll be gone for more than a month - 5 weeks - instead of just a week or two. beyond the huge blessing that this job as been for me, i'm also curious, maybe even a bit anxious, to see what the real point of it all is. there is a purpose for me to be in this position right now, beyond just making sure cameron gets his math done and learns to think. the many opportunities i've had already to share with people is encouraging, but i feel like there's more to come. in shanghai, i'm going to be able to see the crew more often and spend time with them outside of the work environment. if anything, last night was a motivator for me to seek out these opportunities more vigilantly.
what happened last night? well, i got called up at 11:30pm to go with derek to see some of his old frat buddies in lankwaifong who are only in town for one night.
God gives us opportunities. they are all around us. we don't have to go to a faraway village in a faraway third-world country to share the gospel. those places are someone's backyard, and we have our own crop to sow and reap in our own backyard. as i told the kids at sna last saturday, our lives are more than just fulfilling our job description at work, it's more than getting a good report card, we are more than what our parents, our friends, our boyfriends/girlfriends, our bank accounts say we are. our life's purpose is, very simply, rooted in the One who thought it up in the first place. you know that old analogy: you reap what you sow. if we choose to sow into the person that God intended us to be, our life would be perfectly fulfilled. PERFECTLY. i look around at the things that drive this business around me, and all i see is selfishness, greed, and pretention. none of it is real. none of it is authentic.
it takes a lot to stay true to that authentic self. first, we have to know who this authentic self is. sometimes i feel like a lot of people, even christians, don't really understand who they are. it's something that only becomes clear when we muster up enough courage to stand face to face with the Almighty and Creator of the universe, with all our imperfections, and really allow Him time to reflect His light onto us. i'll have to admit, being on this journey is not easy. sometimes i feel myself getting comfortable with my facade, and i think it doesn't really matter that much... whatever is really underneath this mask doesn't need to get out. sometimes i feel like it's too much, i don't want to deal with it, i don't know what i'm dealing with... but these are all just excuses. they're just excuses....
we have to fight so hard - SO hard - to keep God's call in perspective. to keep all these things that are unseen by the natural eye but so deeply felt by the supernatural eye (if we allow it) within our view. but who are we, really? we are
OVERCOMERS (gen.32:28; luke10:19; 1john4:4)
KINGS & PRIESTS (1peter2:9)
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE ALMIGHTY (romans8:16-17)
AMBASSADORS (2cor.5:20)
A NEW CREATION (2cor.5:17)
that last one is the key. we are made like new again when we fully accept the grace that jesus offers. all the layers of lies, deceipt, falsehood that we've collected when we didn't know God falls away, and that genuine authentic person that God made is finally revealed. i guess this is, in the truest sense, what people call "finding themselves." sometimes we think we have to go to tibet, or leave our jobs and families, or 'experiment' with different lifestyles to do it. but finding our true self isn't so much about the physical but the spiritual. that's why we can do God's work (and God can do His work with us) right where we are, whether it's an office building or a contruction site or a classroom or on the street. that's the mystery of the Spirit. and i want to live in it.
posted by jana* at 12:06 PM
