Last week, I had a meeting about pur[SHOE]ing joy with a local Guatemalan business man that left me feeling overwhelmed and little. His intentions were not to do that, he is just that really REAL person if you will. The kind that tells it like it is, always, even if it is always negative. The kind of person that everyone needs a small dose of. He knew a lot but I could tell he didn't comprehend just HOW BIG the Lord has already taken this movement. Tempted to ask the Lord why that meeting was necessary, I knew it was a test to see how serious I was about the race He has marked out for me, if I was willing to persevere and pur[SHOE] joy in the hardest moments. But let me tell you, it was not an easy test for me. We all know that Satan loves those moments of weakness most. I let Satan get a hold of my mind and take it around the world a few times. Every road sign said "Shelby, you are crazy, pur[SHOE]ing joy is never going to make it. Just give it up." The Lord is faithful and brought me back home to Him with a sweet reminder, "You are doing a great work and you cannot come down." (Neh. 6:3) Praise the Lord for Isaiah 41:13. I am thankful that He never lets go of my right hand, no matter how far away I travel, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Literally and physically, a globetrotter. Remember that time I googled "Christians in Antigua, Guatemala"? I can only laugh at myself because He has provided more friends than Google ever could. My precious friend Katy planned a trip for my birthday. Let me rephrase that. My precious friend Katy planned a trip to BELIZE for my birthday. After a 12 hours bus ride through the night, another 6 hours bus ride and an hour and 1/2 boat ride, we finally made it to Caye Caulker. This island is all of a mile long with streets made of sand, lots of dreadlocks and fruit juices. Spending Thanksgiving day on an island was quite the experience. As much as I wanted to be wrapped up, enjoying an Ausband turkey, drinking hot apple cyder at the Christmas tree farm with my fam, it was a good alternative. If you want to learn to be thankful for the sweetness of home, go away for a holiday. You will learn thankfulness. Be ready to answer the question from other globetrotters, "What is thanksgiving?". I am thankful for Guatemala, the opportunity to be here. I am thankful for a weekend vacation in Belize. I am thankful for Katy. I never thought I would find so much joy in a foreign friendship and I SURELY never thought I would find friends that plan a trip to another country for my birthday. We got home from what seemed like a walk from Georgia to California at 5 am Monday morning. Struggling to get up for work, I did anyway and as if we hadn't already celebrated, two co-workers took me out to lunch, cake and coffee and then some friends took me to dinner. I never thought it was possible to feel so loved by new friends here on top of all the love from across the world, from y'all. Y'all made the unfamiliar feeling of being so far away seem so normal and so fun. Thank YOU!
Pur[SHOE]ing joy is becoming quite a globetrotter, I must say. We are adding drop-off locations in more areas all while receiving emails from people wanting to host a drop-off location. When I say a globetrotter, I am not just talking around McDonough (original dream), I am talking all throughout Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York and more. I will say it again and it will not be the last, NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS DID I SEE THIS COMING. However, with growth comes the nitty-gritty necessary details, tons of emails, asking more favors, needing more helping hands, paperwork, financial needs, lots of prayer, meetings with Guatemalan customs brokers etc. And with all of those things, I have been organized chaos myself (no surprise there, right?). While all of these things have me so excited, too they have me scared and overwhelmed. This IS my first rodeo. I am learning how crucial it is to daily submit ourselves to the Lord. I cannot tell you how many times a day I find myself trying to take hold of pur[SHOE]ing joy so in that, I am learning to keep open palms, facing upward and say "take the world and give me Jesus". When I started typing this post this morning, between finding cancer in a 15-year old boy this morning at work and customs issues with shoes, I was having a hard day. But just as I start believing Satan's lies, I received a text at 3:51 this afternoon to find out that one more detail had been worked out. God's faithfulness has me in awe.
I was not kidding when I said I have been all over the globe emotionally, spiritually, mentally, literally, and physically, in every possible way. A globetrotter is one that travels widely. I am thankful that no matter how far I travel, the Lord has a grip on me. I am away from home, in a 3rd world and I feel Him more than ever. I have let Satan into my thoughts one too many times, but the Lord just clings tighter. I have questioned the Lord's purpose for me here and He says "just be still and know". I have let my emotions take over, cried and wanted to give up but He tells me to run the race with perseverance. That is the beauty of His never-ending Grace. He loves us even though we are prone to wander and wonder.
While grace is always there, I cannot take advantage of it. I am learning how little my trust is in a God that is bigger than I will ever be. I am learning that there is a good way to travel and a bad way to travel. Travel forward all you want. Travel the world. (Hint hint: come to Guatemala.) But the second we begin to travel with our eyes not on the Father is the second we are traveling no where good. When we lose sight of the Creator, we cannot appreciate creation.
"Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means."
2 Corinthians 8:11
travel well,
-SA
No comments:
Post a Comment