Hellloooo- Its me here finishing up the first month of ministry in Kampong Cham!!! My time here at New Hope for Orphans has been completely life changing. I’ve been able to experience the Love of the Father like never before, seeds being planted for a new life in Christ, and even the beauty of being broken. Whether it is separating myself from old ways that I haven’t ever been willing to give up before, or loving sweet children so dearly and having to say goodbye in an instant- I have been put face to face with the act of surrendering and being broken in order to pursue what matters most: True intimacy and relationship with Jesus Christ.
Its difficult to understand why the Lord asks us to let go or walk away from things that seem so good. If Im being honest… I used to completely prefer to just let Him love me and make me feel good about myself while not really being obedient or willing in response to His love. Little did I know that when the Lord gets our attention and asks us to surrender and we acknowledge it, He usualllllyyyy will have His way (every single time). Although it seems unfair and doesn’t always make sense, His way is ALWAYS better than our own. Always. For me, I have felt conviction over many areas of my life. Each time I surrendered something to the Lord, the instance reaction was often confusion or doubt, along with some area of brokenness.
Although being broken is never fun, I am fully confident that it is one of the most beautiful places to be. When we’re broken and fully surrendered, we are giving the Lord a new canvas to make something incredible. We have to be vulnerable and willing -and it is hard- but if we put all trust in and attention on Him, He will totally rock our world. He has taken me from a place of bitterness and hopelessness, to a place of peace and pure joy. He has broken every spirit of worthlessness and shame and replaced it with a renewal of thoughts that speak truth about my identity. All that has come from the brokenness that I used to despise is completely good. There is absolutely nothing bad about His plan, in fact everything about it is more than we could ever imagine. We’ve only had a glimpse, a simple taste, of His love- but it overwhelms and overtakes us because it is just that extravagant. He loves us so much that He is willing to constantly speak life to us, dry our tears, comfort us, and even break us so that we can inherit all that He has for us & so that we can walk in one with Him. His purpose will stand, and His purpose is undeniably, indescribably, incredibly GOOD.
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'” Isaiah 46:10
