Freed for Freedom

I'm reviving my pitiful attempt at a blog from my freshman year of college to share my journey preparing for my Vision Trip to the Philippines. I hope by openly, honestly sharing where my heart lies in this trip and calling, it will give my audience insight to the heart of God and why this call to justice is so important. 

I am passionate about freeing the enslaved because it is a direct reflection of the heart of the Gospel and our Lord. Jesus Christ, Lord of All, embodied himself in human form to bring the message that no one is too far. too dirty. too lost. to be brought back into love. to be redeemed. Every action and sermon Christ did on earth was for this purpose. His mission is to call every one of his children into relationship with Him- NO MATTER WHAT. 

"I (Jesus) have not come to call the righteous but sinners" Mark 2:17. 

*If you'd like to delve further into the heart of the gospel, check out this message: http://subspla.sh/a8107f1  

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:15-16 

The purpose of the Gospel resonates deeply in me because Jesus had to give me some tough love for me to realize how depraved I am, that every day I need to be brought back to Him. Truly allowing Christ into my life two years ago freed me of grave sin. It was not easy. Sin is not fixed instantaneously (wouldn't that be amazing?!). It is a continuous process of humbling before the Lord and asking for Him to reign in your heart, mind, life. It still is not easy. Every day is a battle against myself, but each day the Spirit reminds me that I am renewed each day. Love came down and rescued me. Of this I am sure and am astounded in gratitude.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end; they are NEW every morning. Great is your faithfulness!"- Lamentations 3:22-23 

This process of continual surrender to Christ reminds me to be grateful always for freedom. My soul now has an ingrained urgency to spread the joy of my freedom to others! I HAVE BEEN FREED FOR FREEDOM. Jesus has given me this purpose as a picture of His incredible heart. 

That is why I'm passionate about ending human trafficking and modern slavery. That's why I'm leading a campus chapter of International Justice Mission. But more importantly, I'm going on this trip to the Philippines with "Wipe Every Tear". To know women who have left sexual slavery, to protect women still stuck in the depravity, and to prevent women from entering that life. To pass along my freedom in Christ so they may attain their own freedom!!!! 

I know that this trip will not be easy. I will be entering darkness, a world of evil I have never known. My heart has already been shattered for these people, and it will be ripped apart once I get there. But it is so worth it. These women need to know they are desperately loved. They live in situations- extreme poverty and violence- I can never fully understand. But Jesus intimately knows EVERY SINGLE person in this world, and that gives me great reassurance. I can do nothing for these people but give them Jesus. It is NOT ABOUT ME. It is all about sharing with people why Jesus is SO NECESSARY for life, how He is ALL you could ever need, that HE gives FREEDOM. 

That is why I'm going to Manila, Philippines from December 27-January 8th. Will you join me in praying for this trip? That the heart of God will be revealed, miracles would occur, that the impossible would be done, and that financial provision will be attained and not be an obstacle. 

I hope my ramblings offer some insight and thought to you. Hallelujah, our God Saves!! Amen. 

Here's the video from Wipe Every Teary that broke my heart: https://vimeo.com/105390871. 

Passions.

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”- Oscar Wilde. 

Now that the semester is almost a full month in gear, the excitement of seeing old friends and making new has digressed into the monotony of the daily routine- class, study, work, eat, attend a meeting, study, (maybe) sleep... rinse and repeat. It seems like every minute of the day is planned out with what has to be done or what is expected, so it is easy to lose sight of what I'm here at college, and on this Earth, for. 

To learn. To meet new people. To go on adventures. To love. To explore my passions. 

The latter is what my first six months of college has given me. I have fallen in love with human rights advocacy for anti-human trafficking, which I was hardly exposed to before coming to A&M. Without God guiding the steps for me to learn about the non-profit, International Justice Mission, I would never be so driven to fight this injustice of slavery. Even talking about this topic rivets excitement and joy in my soul because I have been given a great empathy and love for ending this institution.

In college and in the adult business world, we so often become lost in our "major" or our job that we don't even enjoy doing because we believe the lie that it is what is expected of us... Go to school, get married, work to support a family... Yes, while those are all wonderful things in life, many that I look forward to, there is so much more. Out of over 7 billion people on this planet, you are here right now for a purpose- to live extraordinarily. God has given us all each a specific passion- an intense desire or enthusiasm for something- for a reason. Vincent Van Gogh once said that, "“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” We were not put on this earth to mindlessly check through the bullet-points of our day and life with no ultimate goal or intention other than it's what we are supposed to do in our society. God has given us each an individual a spirit of power and love and a spiritual gift, to pursue our passions that benefit His kingdom.

It is not a coincidence that another definition for "passion" is the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Or that the Latin root of Passion is pati- to suffer. Sometimes our passions do lead to personal sacrifices or suffering that we must endure in order to fulfill our destiny- whether it's a time unemployed looking for the dream job, or a period of doubt of whether you're in the right major. But Christ did not die on the Cross and wash us all free for us to live monotonous lives, not proclaiming the deep enthusiasm God has given us for Him, and for the passions in our lives. The least we can do for Christ's sacrifice is to live desperately desiring Him and to live passionately. 

So piece together your dry bones, fearful minds and weary hearts, and become renewed in the passions that Christ gives us. 

"Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

 This is what the sovereign Lord says, 

I will make breath enter you,

and you will come to life."

Ezekiel 37:4-5

Peace birthed from Trust.

Finals Week.

These two words typically bring almost instantaneous fear into college students, but to be quite frank, I'm not stressed about finals. At all. Perhaps this is because this is my first college semester and most of the time I typically do not know what I'm doing... but about mid-semester I finally learned a lesson that I believe is possibly the most important lesson one can achieve in a lifetime.

Truly trusting in the Lord.

This may sound cheesy, we've all heard the infamous Proverb, but trusting in God doesn't mean that you don't do anything, and wait around hoping that God will have a supernatural intervention in your life, that everything will be magically taken care of and your path will be visible in front of you, straight and laid out.

No, trusting God is much more than what it seems. It involves a daily, committal relationship, where you must put in effort and prayer to communicate with Him. This is no small task, it's quite easy to be caught up in the routine and stresses of what a day typically entails. But whether it's a one minute prayer in the morning, or building up to a continuous conversation through the whole day, I've learned that simply taking a moment just to talk out your emotions, worries, desires and thoughts to Christ truly builds a relationship that cannot be broken (from our own accord). Yes, God already knows every depth of your heart, but verbalizing your prayers, positive or negative, builds a confidant, trusting relationship. Soon, you will realize that how much you do need to rely on Him to make it through the day with absolute peace and joy, and to find yourself praying or talking to God in moments you never have before, like walking out of a hard examination but thanking Him that I'm lucky enough to be receiving higher education.

The more I communicate with God through the day, the more I've learned to trust in Him, therefore building peace from knowing that every day is His, and will benefit both Christ and myself. To trust that everything will work out, and to have peace in every day hassles. Perhaps one of the greatest realizations as a college student is that grades are not eternal. But Jesus, and a relationship with Him, is. Focus on what is unseen, and by trusting in your relationship with Christ, the Earthly anxieties simply will not phase you. This is not to say that worries and stress will not come, but by meditation and daily conversation with Christ, the daily anxieties that so often cloud our relationship with God will become minuscule compared to the greater glory of God's Kingdom. 

"Show me your ways, Oh Lord, 

teach me your paths, 

guide me in your truth and teach me, 

for you are God my Savior, 

and my hope is in you all day long" 

Psalm 25:4-5