This particular morning I was bothered by the feelings I was perceiving by the team.
I felt their worry, but as I felt it I thought they were worried about me speaking. “Do they think I’m worried?” The feelings were heavy and I didn’t know what to do with it. Many asked if I was ready for the message this morning. I couldn’t understand the question because I didn’t feel like I was giving off any juju that would speak of fear and worry.
We went back down to the college where we are living and I changed my clothes, out on my make up, and stepped out to go down to the sanctuary. I stood and watch the team as they practiced the song that they were singing for the same devotion that I was speaking it. As I stood there I was so impressed and overwhelmed with love for them and their willingness to jump in and do what was requested of them for the kingdom. But the Holy Spirit showed me something in that moment…
It wasn’t me that they were worried about. It was their selves. Getting up in front a college congregation of about 100+ students for the first time leading themselves and being organized by a peer is scary. It’s new. And it’s out of their comfort zone.
My love for them grew and I thanked the Holy Spirit for showing me how to love my team in this moment.
We moved down to the sanctuary. The team was a bit frantic as they tried to set up the projector with the lyrics, practice the song with the recording, and connect with the pianist that would be working with the team.
“Hey Team, let’s take a moment to pray.”
Together we prayed for peace, the release of nervousness and the jitters, and we thanked Holy Spirit for already being in the place. We prayed that we would sing as if only we were in the room and only to speak the Word as led by Holy Spirit.
Courtney shared a Word that she received from Holy Spirit as we said Amen to our prayer. “I used to think as I heard the lyrics in the song about ‘keeping my head above the water’ that I was drowning and I was trying to stay a float. But God just revealed to me that we are already walking on the water with Him. We are not drowning. Instead, He is telling us ‘don’t focus on the water; focus on me.'”
We practiced the song one more time, but it was different.
Today, Team 1dentity stepped off the boat with a little bit of fear, but together we stepped off once again and God blessed our efforts.
“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”
??1 John? ?4:17-18? ?MSG??
