ALL over the world

I realize I haven’t been posting much about how God has been teaching me on this trip or how I have seen Him moving. Much of that is due to the fact that I am growing and, in that growth, confused. More than once on this trip, God has used circumstances, friends, or even classes to cause me to think twice about where I stand, Who I live for, and what that looks like. I’m on this trip on my own; mom and dad aren’t here to make choices for me; roommates and best friends aren’t here to share opinions and figure out wise decisions with me. As much fun and learning as this trip has been, a lot of what I’m doing on this trip I guess, is sorting out all of my thoughts. I'm figuring out what I, Lizzie, believe and why… apart from what my parents or friends might tell me or believe. Yes, we might all agree in the end. But unless I experience it myself, unless I make those necessary decisions on my own, unless I think through these different issues and make a stand for Christ on my own… my relationship with God will be nothing less than imitated, impersonal, and misunderstood. No. My relationship with God is my own and now that I’m away from everything and everyone that has and does influence me at home, I’m feeling that relationship with Him out completely on my own.

Yeah, I get super-confused a lot. And sometimes feel like I’m not growing in my relationship with God at all. But regardless of that feeling of failure, I know that I am growing. Why? Because I’ve never had to think through these issues/decisions/thoughts before on my own, but now I am dealing with them on a daily basis. I'm realizing that it's ok to be confused with this... since a lot of these things I’m thinking through have never been an issue to me before, of course I’m going to be confused. I don’t understand everything or have all my ducks in a row. And I’m not going to ever have everything totally clear in terms of how I stand on every little doctrine or how I should act or respond in every single situation.

But as I’ve been reminded, “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.” (Romans 7:25 – The Message)

Somehow, there’s relief in the fact that I don’t have everything under control. It reminds me that Somebody Else does. And that Somebody Else already set everything right and made me whole even in the midst of my misunderstanding. In the end, I can be confused and have ducks out of order... but I'm still accepted, blessed, and significant to Him as my heart is set on Him.

God, I am so in awe of you and the work that you are doing… literally ALL over the world.

"The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands... There is no language or speech where their voice is not heard." -Psalm 19:1-3