Preparation and Realization - Jeremiah

-Jeremiah

Preparation and Realization for the Road Ahead

I have been able to work along side some really great people since I have been here in Skien. I am learning more about Ung Baptist, who is the organization we are working for. We recently went to their training weekend to talk about things we should be preparing for. We also talked to them more about what our specific jobs will be. We heard awesome testimonies about how God has restored his children with peace after traumatic events have taken place, and when burn out has occurred he has provided rest. We learned how it is really important to take care of our bodys and minds. We used an analogy: When a person that is well gets sick it easier for that person to make a full recovery. When a person is not fully well and then gets sick it can be much harder for that person to survive the sickness. This analogy has helped me think about how much I rely on God for everyday things. If I couldn’t rely on him for the simpe things how could I remember to do the same for the big things.

We talked through different difficult scenarios and learned the best ways to respond in these hard situations. As we have gotten to know the staff more we have been able to really see what their mission is all about. It’s completely about letting God guide their lives, and providing a platform for young people to do the same. I like Ung Baptist. This is basic, but hard stuff to wrap my head. This kind of training has been exactly what we needed.

Our identity is completely and only what God has made us uniquely to be. He knows who we are. Letting him guide our steps is really the only thing that makes sense. I am still learning who I am and who I am supposed to be. I can’t really decide what is best for myself sometimes. This is strange to write because I am realizing again how much I have to submit to God. This is really scary though. When I don’t know what God is going to do next it makes me really nervous. But trusting God is more than just blindly letting go and giving up. It takes persistent engagement and listening to trust God. It takes my body, mind, and soul a lot of energy to fall into this kind of submission. I have to ask God for help completely, without doubt and believe he loves me. Then do my part of being engaged in prayer and in honest conversations with people. I even have to invite people in to the kind of ugly parts of my life. This also includes being completely real with God too. Not holding back and letting God know if I am happy or sad or angry and why. He already knows, but when I say these things to him it’s kind of a discovery process for myself. Then I listen and repeat. 

As I listen and respond to what I think I am hearing, this is when the Holy Spirit is active and guiding me the most. And also showing me the work he has done ahead and behind me in preparation for the present. Through this I see how God has the power to complete any thing he wants. This is amazing to be a part of. I see also just how much grace I am given as an imperfect human being because God is using my imperfections to speak to others and others to speak to me. He is using the “mistakes,” I have made or mundane decisions I have made to actually prepare and serve as foundations for things I could never have planned for. In this process I am seeing the trinity of my God fully working in and all around me. His grace, power, vast knowledge, and love is being poured out on to my life. I am seeing it happen. I am learning to accept my identity as a child of God.