Wearing your Faith

Hello readers! I hope your Monday was the best Monday ever. This past weekend I participated in an overnight retreat type event with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry here at Valdosta State. I made new friends, stepped out of my comfort zone ( next blog ;) ), and God really clarified some things he has been pulling on my heart. Many times we wonder why we are where we are. Whether that be location or circumstance, it is a valid point. Why am I at VSU? Why did I not go to Georgia Southern or Kennesaw? Why not go straight to ministry school? Why did I choose to forgo other clubs? Why was financial aid such a pain? Why did certain things in my life seemingly fall into a billion pieces?  Why did I pick somewhere so far away from those I love? Seriously, everyone questions their own decisions, even though they made them. These questions eat at not only our minds, but our faith. We wonder if anything good can come out of a season of waiting or wondering.. God has really shown me that I am exactly where he wants me to be right now. Even when things are hard or uncertain, his plans prevail. Many times I wonder why I'm not in a season of my life where I am on the streets helping these young girls become saved from the evils of trafficking. Or why I am not in Cambodia with the She Rescue House... there are so many things I "could" be doing that I'm not. I'm sitting in the Odum Library with some friends blogging on my laptop. I've made new friends that God opened so many doors to let me meet. Everyone is new here. There are probably a couple hundred students studying, reading, or searching online in this one building. As of today, I believe that about 11,000 students are enrolled at my school. ELEVEN THOUSAND souls. Eleven thousand impressionable young people. Eleven thousand peers who I could show Jesus to. I always think witnessing is about going up to someone & telling them my testimony or saying Jesus Jesus Jesus after everything. God has shown me recently the difference I am called to make, as well as yourself,.. Showing Jesus through my life.What do I mean show Jesus ? I mean wear him well. Make him your garment every single day. I love the saying of that.. wearing. I love to shop.. I mean LOVE. Why do we spend hours in the store looking at every aisle for the next purchase? I go through countless outfits to decide what to wear every single day.. why? because I want to feel like I look good & look decent for others. I want to portray something to my peers. That is how we are called to show Jesus. Portray him in all we do. When you wake up, do you put on Jesus? Or do you throw on whatever is popular? That secular song that the cute guy in your history class listens to? The super seductive crop top that you know your mom would kill you if she saw it? the latest gossip on the girl " that doesn't fit in"? I am guilty of gossip. I am guilty of listening or watching movies and music I probably shouldn't. I am guilty of a word slipping out of mouth because I got too comfortable trying to fit in with the crowd. I am guilty of putting a guy first. We all are guilty of wearing this world. Of doing literally everything we can to fit into a certain mold of a person... but what we are called to do is wear Jesus. Radiate him and what he stands for. Jesus stands for love. He literally is LOVE. He is grace and redemption and salvation. He is the King of Kings.  He is your Father and bestfriend. He loves you and sets you right where he needs you at any particular time. The choice is to put him on daily no matter where you'd rather be. You are a disciple wherever you go. Your mission field is right where you are. On your campus. In your family. At Walmart, wherever it is. I am not saying you have to tattoo Jesus on your forehead, but there is a light that comes from those who wear Jesus. You become joyful and bright. Not irritated and rash. You focus on the postive rather then the negative. You love others even when they aren't loveable. Integrity and honestly flow from your actions. Our leader for BCM, explained that about 10% of the campus is ready to except Christ, they are just waiting for YOU to do something to make a bit of a difference. YOU get the opportunity every single day to make an impact for THE kingdom. The Lord uses us to reach the unbelievers through our lives. Not even always through our words.. but through how we live, what we do, and how we carry ourselves.

{Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.} 1 Peter 2:12 

When I see someone worshiping God on a deeper level then just church, it sets a fire in me to get deeper. To find out what is different with that person. Use where you are. Use your gifts. Use every chance the Lord sets in front of you. Even if things are not perfect, you are a child of God. God wins in the end. He is yours, and you are his. What an absolutely beautiful truth ! How wonderful that we get to share that honor with those we meet everyday. A simple change in attitude can be just the seed someone needed in order to grow bold enough to accept Christ.. Wear Jesus well.

 {And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.} 1 Corinthians 11:1
 
You are the hands & feet of Christ. Be more like Jesus with every step you take. You will stumble, but the good news is that we have a God who catches us when we do so. Put on your Jesus today.

lots of love,
Kalyn  

New begininngs

Goodafternoon ya'll,
 As many of you probably know, I am now a resident of Valdosta, Georgia. eeeppp, it still is hard to believe it all worked out & I am sitting in my dorm room blogging. God had his hand on this without a doubt. It has been awhile since I posted, but I decided to blog a bit about my first week or so here & encourage those starting new chapters.. even new beginnings you had no idea you are capable of making & for those who want to begin something new, but it seems everything is falling through.

I am SO excited that I just had a sudden urge to open up my daily reading on YouVersion.. Proverbs 3. It is exactly what I needed to set the foundation for this blog. ( go ahead & read https://www.bible.com/bible/116/pro.3.nlt ) When I think of "new", I think of fresh, shiny, & spotless. When I think of "beginning", I think of the start of a journey or race with a path set out before you. This August, I watched my little sister set out on a new beginning as she entered middle school. I saw two of my dearest friends begin a new beginning with their new spouses. I watched as hundreds & hundreds of kids I grew up with move miles away from eachother. It all happened so fast, but it is life. As we grow, we change, We move. We meet new people & travel new places. There is a feeling about newness that drives us all. I know I love to get a new outfit or blanket or purse or anything. Meeting new friends is the scariest, but funnest thing. That is why the majority of us obsess over the newest phone or update or who to talk to or whatever is of all the rage now... but my point is developing an attitude of newness. I believe God has laid this on my heart because it something I struggled with & continue to have to pursue daily. This world is beautiful, God created this amazing place for us to live life on. To invest in his creation & build his kingdom. How can I do that when I am living in the weight of yesterday's mistakes, failures, and disappointments? I carried around, honestly, this bitterness of oldness. I just dreaded the day because of regrets, anger, unforgiveness of myself, & had an attitude set towards my circumstance. Everyday I would pile on another negative thought or action until I felt bombarded with negativity. That is exactly what the devil had in mind, for me to focus so much more on my yesterday than my today. As you read this, I hope you are connecting to this truth...
{ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! } 2 Corinthians 5:17
Today, I want you to write this verse on a sticky & post it somewhere you'll see it all the time. Jesus makes us new. He allows these new beginnings. He refreshes hearts & makes them pure.
 {Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.} Psalm 51:10
 Everyday, in the morning, make your requests to him for your day. He is able,he is just, and he hears you. He hears you're voice, trust in the power of the Lord who makes dry bones ALIVE. { Ezekial 37} { In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. } Pslam 5:3  Through Christ, we live out the opportunity for a daily refreshness, a daily new beginning. As I referenced earlier, Proverbs 3 shows that resting on his word sets you up for walking in a new state of mind. Being full of the word , the truth, will change how you view everything. No matter what falls through or who says you can't or you're " foolish" , you get the chance to pursue a new attitude , a new life BECAUSE of Christ. Through his grace, through your faith in him, you get to change your circumstance every single day because he makes your heart full of bitterness, stress, & contempt.. pure. He renews your spirit of anger into a steadfast, trustworthy intimate relationship with the king of kings ! As you walk through your campus, walk in newness. Walk in the faith that you have begun a new beginning daily with your Savior. That he dearly loves you. He wants what is best for his most wonderful creation. You have the power of the Holy Spirit to guide your every decision.. tap into that this week & live life with a new start. A new day. & a new perspective on your purpose... to be a light. To walk in FREEDOM EVERYDAY. 
 
{I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.}psalms 119:45

Lots of love, 
Kalyn Bowser 

{And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.} Phillipians 1:6

Children For Sale #endhumantrafficking

Good Wednesday Afternoon to my beautiful & handsome readers !
I am way excited to share this blog with you guys ( I've been working on getting blogs prepared to post regularly & have a more up to date blog ) , but this one is a spur of the heart kind of post. SO, last night I got the incredible honor to attend a special showing of CNN's new documentary , "Children for Sale : The Fight to End Human Trafficking " which airs Tuesday, July 21st at 9 pm on CNN. As well as watch it with the special, god-given leaders shown in the video. It was so special to be in room full of influential people striving & successfully doing the work they set out to do. This kind of film being shown worldwide is so so encouraging to those of us who long to get the word out about this terrible crime being committed literally in our backyard. All the shows I have watched concerning Human Sex Trafficking have been filmed in far off in places such as Cambodia or Russia. What is particularly
special about this film is that it is based in my, as well as many of yours, home,..Atlanta, Georgia. Girls, my age and younger, are being sold for money, traded like baseball cards, & used in ways I cannot even fathom right down the interstate from me.. If that doesn't rattle you up, I do not know what will. These girls and boys could easily be you or your kids or your friends. I have heard countless people refer to these girls or boys as prostitutes, saying that they wanted to do this, so why bother? My answer is that no, no 14 year old girl signed up to be branded, beat, emotionally abused, and used by sometimes 40 men sexually a day. She didn't want that. So you ask why is this such a problem? What shocks me everytime is the why. My mind works in that way to where I want to understand the why behind the circumstance. The common theme you hear between the stories of these girls, as well as countless stories I have read online, is the lack of affirmation from family, peers, and themselves. I had to just thank God in that moment that I was blessed with being told through every stage of life that I was beautiful. ( thank your family if this is you as well, I did not realize how grateful I should be for love until I understood the amount of children who receive none ) It is hard to imagine someone being told they are not. My eyes have truly been opened & my heart broken to the fact such a mass amount of children grow up without being told how special, beautiful, and valuable they are. I read a verse this morning that was right on time. It is found in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 17 , " .. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless.." wow, his word spoke. As you dig into these girls' stories, you realize that the desire to be loved is what the girls are after. The desire to feel protected is what the girls are after. The desire to feel special is what the girls are after. These men, sometimes women, who drag these girls into this terrible slavery, know this. They use these beautiful girls' vulnerability to get to them & once they are in.. it is nearly impossible to get out due to emotional, sexual, and physical attachments to these predators. In the film, you learn on a much more detailed perspective of this manipulation. So, you ask Kalyn, why are you saying all this? I say it because you sitting right there are beautiful. you sitting right there are special, smart, powerful, joyful, bright, important, amazing, loveable, and so so valuable. I remember going through the time when my family was torn. I felt lonely, I felt unworthy, I felt like God had forgotten me. So I turned to whatever made me feel good, which turned into a battle with lust in order to get attention & hear the words I wanted to hear.. " you're beautiful" " I want you " " You're so special." I know personally how easy it is to fall into that trap. I also realize the devil was after my soul. After my joy. But, mostly after my dependents on my God. Ladies, ( and gents) you are powerful. You are more than you can ever even imagine. You are bigger than what those girls at school said about you. You are not just an outcome of a parent being absent in your life. YOU have a Father, and his name is God. he loves you , he thinks you're the most beautiful thing on this planet.. after all, God made the amazing mountains, the blue skies, the incredibly vast ocean, but you, darling, are his most gorgeous, complex, and special creation. And once you realize this for yourself, go & spread it. Tell everyone you know how beautiful they are. As a young lady in the film explained, when Ms. Lisa ( the incredible founder of Living Waters for Girls ) greets me with a " hello beautiful" it changed her perspective of herself. she felt love. she felt cared for. She felt true hope. My challenge is  1. pray for these girls, pray for breakthrough, pray for the predators who do these terrible horrors to our girls, pray for the amazing, amazing team in Atlanta that fights day & night to combat trafficking, pray for the blessings of Living Waters & For Sarah to prosper 2. watch CNN's special report Tuesday night at 9 & share, share, share while using #endhumantrafficking 3. be a voice of influence, power, beauty, and justice.. I promise someday someone will thank you for doing so, it could save their life.
Thank you for reading :) God bless you ,
Kalyn
( feel free to share if you feel to do so :) ) 
More information : www.cnn.com/freedom 
www.cofl.com ( living waters for girls, Rachel's law ) 

When setting my table, will I be Mary or will I be Martha?

School, work, friends, guys, teachers, leaders, parents, family, homework, projects, exams, graduation.... it just goes on. Life is such a chaos majority of time. Either sibling games at the fields or driving to college every other day or to hanging clothes at the GAP.. it just seems I don't seem to catch a break. & when I do , I immediately just want to crawl in bed & snooze all day. See, life is busy. that is just the truth I have learned. Don't get me wrong, I am SO very thankful to God for the opportunities & people he has placed me with currently. God never promised we wouldn't feel  as if we could pull all of our hair out from the things piling up. As I grow older & continue to progress through the journey, things WILL continue happening. The stress will grow as I continue my education. As I work, the tasks will get greater & longer. Eventually, I will be on my own. ( scary I know ) It wont magically get easier. Recently I have felt like I don't have enough time to breathe much less actually be a productive human being when I am not actively somewhere else like school, church, or work. When I get home or am not "scheduled", I feel burned out. Irritated to say the least. Ya know when you feel like you are being targeted in all angles so youre the deer in headlights just kinda stunned to a stop in the road. yeah, I feel like that deer paralyzed by the headlights coming. The choice I am realizing is how I am going to deal with it. AM I going to let irriatation invade my heart like it has been ? Or am I going to put my priorities in the hands of my father in heaven? Tonight I really dug into the word more than I have in several weeks because I have gotten in the terrible habit as I said of just crashing when I get home. The thing is.. I feel SO much better after I read truth & have the living word of God flowing into my heart. In the she reads truth devo today, they took a look at Luke 10: 38-42. I LOVE THIS STORY & LESSON Jesus teaches in these few verses. 

 

 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

 

 

I am so Martha right now.. I am tossing through college flyers.. flying through hundreds of emails.. working like crazy.. homework piling up for finals.. I am trying to prepare my table as the she reads truth devo connected it to this story. I just want it planned & ready. I need it perfect so I can pursue my dream & passion.. which is for God. But.. I keep squeezing him out of it while I set the table. This really made me sit back & just say goodness this is Jesus speaking to my troubled busy soul right now.. QUIET. Kalyn, just sit before the Lord & listen. Listen to his word. Listen to his goodness & grace. Embrace yourself in his presence. Be more like Mary who sat at the Father's feet before she attempted to figure it all out. That's my prayer & foundation for this week, that I will make more time for God & put him FIRST before I try to have the feast all sorted out. Without God, I will never know what he wants & where he will lead me. The only way to my full purpose & calling in God's story is through the writer. Allow him to be the writer today before you run off to edit it. God's love will endure forever. His love & grace will not be taken away. He will never leave nor forsake us. Thank you for reading, hope this encouraged you in some way :)

Much love

Kalyn 

What does God say about me ?



Insecurity. That word, we all cringe over & about a thousand things start whizzing through our minds before someone even finishes the word. From physical flaws to personality issues. To words your loved ones said that completely crushed your heart to being rejected by a guy you thought was the sweetest guy on Earth. They stem from every direction. They intertwine, unfold, disappear, then come blazing in from another direction. The other night at our Impact ( my youth group ) Big Nite, we had a "panel" of very qualified, insightful adults & even some pretty incredible, gifted teenagers answer questions that students had submitted a few weeks ago. I always love this kinda service because it shows how the word is alive as it transforms through perspectives & situations. It also gives a look into the struggles of these teenagers. This Wednesday there was a theme I noticed.. it was insecurity. I know everyone has it, so I just sorta overlook it. I mean again, what can I do to fix it, it is just a part of life.. but see once more, boy was I wrong. So I take you to this picture above that you're probably wondering if I just wanted to show you for the fun of it.. but, it is a bit more than that. In this picture above, you probably noticed the beautiful background & my surroundings. Maybe you noticed my dress or my hair. Or teared up a little because it's my senior pictures which means graduation is getting immensely close. ( it seems unreal, you have permission to cry  ) .. Chances are you didn't notice the insecurity I felt in this moment. You can't see my struggle of feeling too large. You can't see my desperate plead of wishing my arms were a thousand times smaller. You can't see my glands flaring up because I am thinking about the acne that I just know is invading this photo. You can't see my hives I am almost positive I had because of the feeling of just not being good enough. You can't see my heart breaking from hurt & rejection I have felt & am feeling. Or the guilt I feel of my past. Or the worry that floods through my every thought. You just see a picture of a girl..  Now, lets be clear.. This is one of my favorite senior pictures ( done by the insanely gifted Missy Frank , Inframed Photography). So now, you think, ' Kalyn, you just said like six negative things about yourself that this picture brought up, but you say you love it?' yes, I may just be crazy .. but you'll hopefully understand after this blog is wrapped up... Back to the question at hand during Big nite.. it was " What does God say about insecurities?"
hmm so good question.. in my head, I was like well hello, he doesn't want us to be insecure but I am & that is just life & how it is going to be. ( I am a stubborn person my dear friends, not exactly in my favor typically) Well the answerer said the word.. Validation. Validation? What do you mean? I am validated.. . Now, you think " girl.. I am a teen, I am not barely validated to drive much less anything else".. but that's where yourself & I am so so wrong. We are validated as a daughter. That statement just.. feels my heart with such comfort. When I think of a daughter.. my mind automatically sees a daddy looking at his babygirl with such love & awe because my brain just does that. Some of you don't have that in a dad active in their lives & some have active dads ( or mom), just they fall short of this picture. The beautiful thing about Christ & what I have been really learning through the past few months is that picture in my head of a father with that look of absolute adoration for his daughter.. is my Father in heaven looking down on his daughter in which he loved so much he sent his son for.. that daughter is me. it is you. The past few days ( & few months.. this topic keeps occurring repeatedly in my life.. I think Jesus is trying to paint me a picture) I have really been looking at this picture. It is a beautiful picture, everyone I have shown has fallen in love with the simplicity of it. I have looked at this picture so many times, along with pictures for years thinking  about all the negative I can find. But, as one of the wise teens on the panel said.. ( I am paraphrasing bigtime) " I may not have confidence in myself all the time, but I do have confidence in who I am in Christ.. & that is a daughter" So perfect. Because the truth is my weight didn't go down.. my acne is still on my face, & my hurt is still an everyday thing.. but with my savior Jesus, he covers with love. When I see this picture, I feel confident now. Confident that I am the daughter of a king who is bigger then the comment in 6th grade bashing my arms. I am the daughter of a king who is greater then the rejection I feel of being alone. I am the daughter of a king who is mightier then any flaw the devil tries to use to bring me down to less then who my Father says I am. When I look in the mirror, I say straight back to the devil when I nit pick over my image , that I am fearfully & wonderfully made by my God who overcomes all. Nothing in all creation can separate the solidity & everlasting love my prince of peace has for me. Have a pep talk with yourself, declaring the Lord's love & promises over your beautiful soul. You are more than gorgeous in the eyes of the Lord of Lords. Take this world's judgement, & give me Jesus.

surrounded in the hurricane, taken by the waves

Close your eyes. forget where you are. Now picture a hurricane, but you're in the middle of the water. The ocean is swirling, the sound of the crashing as the waves meet accompanies the lighting striking down around you. Wind is howling through your hair. The sky is a dark mix of black & gray seeming to trap you in the storm, blocking you from what's ahead in the distance .The waves are closing in around you. every chance that you get a quick breath of salty air, another wave comes to knock you over again.  It drags you under, twists you & turns you under the water. You don't understand where you are, or how you got here. These waves used to be so beautiful, a few hours ago you were dipping your toes in to relax in the amazing creation of this vast ocean. The sky was sunny & blue as far as you could see. You were above the waves, staring out into the distance. Unmistakeningly giving praise to our mighty creator for his amazing painting. Now you are drowning.. you are wondering if you should fight to get above the waves to knowledge that you will get knocked under yet again or just simply let the wave take you on into the depths? This is where this blog began. This is where my strong walk began.. When I faced the difficulty of the storm. Many of you know what I am saying when I tell you my faith has been shaken like an earthquake throughout the last year & a half. I lost my grip on my purpose & honestly just the point of life. The troubles, worries, hurts & doubts just kept adding to one another. I didn't understand why God wasn't stepping in to save me. One day I was just crashing down, & my sweet leader was just listening to me cry in a mess of jumbled feelings & I was trying to explain to her how I felt.. the description I opened up with was what I said to her. That the waves were knocking me over, over & over everyday. I had been knocked over so many times. too many times .I felt as if I couldn't breathe anymore. I felt like just suffocating because the hurricane was taking me under with it. I often thought that it would be easier to choose option B then to continue with the fight leading me through the pain & confusion I felt. I questioned living at times, this was one of my darkest times . I remember it so vividly. The feeling of giving up. The feeling of I just cant take this hurt. This storm was too big for me to handle, & for some reason God wasn't stepping in. I felt that God had decided to just leave it on me because that was how I felt with this world. I didn't want to bother anyone because I know everyone has their problems & they don't need mine to add to it. I didn't wanna look weak because I knew I needed to be strong, but the thing is that I am not strong enough for my storm. That is the absolute truth. But good news is that through my times of worship, reading, & writing my praises I have fully realized that I am not alone, it is not just me. God knows me. He loves me. He knows my worries & troubles. He is God. Soon after this state of giving up, I read a scripture that speaks so perfectly to my heart.

 "He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves." psalm 107:29

This verse, just ahh I can not even explain to you the comfort it brings to me. He calmed my storm to a whisper. To a faintness. Yes, my storm may be there. It may hurt sometimes, but it is but a whisper. He speaks over my storm, over the waves. They are hushed. It is my favorite scripture in the Word that I have come across. It is in my bios, I have it written on my journals, written on mirrors, on notecards. It is my senior quote. I mean the spirit is wrapped up in this verse to me. The word is so alive , it speaks so differently to every situation. On Sunday, my Pastor talked about storms which was just the reminder I needed as I face more unpredictable storms. In Mark 4, Jesus calms yet another storm. I love this passage as Jesus shows his great power in such simplicity.

35As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

38Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

39When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

 I ponder over Jesus' question , " DO YOU STILL HAVE NO FAITH?"  Kalyn, do you really have so little faith even after the many blessings I have given you & showed to you ? Waoh,, conviction right on the nose. Faith is believing in what you can't see. I can't see the end of the storm, but we need to have faith that he is at the end. It is like a dark tunnel through a mountain where you can see nothing , you don't see the light until you get to the end. Then you emerge into the beautiful creation & his light he so very much wants to give to you. The inevitable is that we live in a world of sin, we will have trouble. We without a doubt will have storms, but how will we handle the storm. will we let it drown us or will we call out to him to be with us to be a light to our path ? The song , " Oceans" , by Hillsong United just speaks this.

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Keep your eyes above the waves, the oceans will rise but our father in heaven sees the rainbow ahead. He uses storms, these faith testing hurricanes, to draw us closer to him. I am crazy bout some analogies & I often use this one when I feel like the tide is taking me under.

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree"
Pslams 92:12

 Palm trees make my heart happy, when I saw a palm tree I automactically was like oh my goodness how beautiful, now I am awe stricken by these masterpieces. God puts me in a sense of absolute speaklessness when he uses the most simple everyday things to show us his heart & purpose. His purpose is not to let me drown under the waves, he wants me to build up my strength & faith to be stronger.

 I learned this through our Pastor, flourishing like a palm tree. Palm trees are strategically placed in areas of strong potential of hurricanes, such as Florida. These trees are deep rooted in the ground , so they do not snap, they bend in the storm. Bending in the storm, can be seen as kneeling to God for his guidance through the wind & the rain. After these massive storms, typically these palm tree roots are stronger then ever because of their need to become deeper rooted. Being rooted in Jesus is what allows us the hope of getting up above these treacherous waves that seem to be against us. He is the light in the stomy skys that darken our sight. Lean in to Jesus, he will be with you through it all. Not for a second will he forsake you.

To succumb..

To succumb to the enormity of the problem

is to fail

the ONE

I am so excited to finally be sitting down & blogging about this past weekend. A whole lotta stuff has been settling in my heart & mind recently. SO this last Friday was the annual women's conference at my church. Hundreds & hundreds of women gathered to worship together, which I must add is such a crazy amazing experience ( join me next year because I am already pumped ). I have been looking forward to this event for months because uhmm hello, it's with my best girlfriends plus a whole lotta Jesus, worship, shopping, & sister love just a flowin in the atmosphere. But there is more... the speaker was Pastor Leigh Ramsey who is the founder of the SHE RESCUE HOUSE (http://sherescuehome.org/ ). This organization helps girls who have been trafficked, raped, sexually exploited, or at risk. MY heart nearly exploded as I realized she was going to be coming to speak. This woman inspires me with her bravery & passion for these girls being served such an injustice.. as one of my leaders texted me, she is ' My passion's CEO'. So needless to say, I couldn't walk my short little heeled boots any faster into that building Friday. Her message has really sat deeply on my heart more & more so as the days go on. I had already fallen in love with her ministry & spent hours & hours researching the cheapest way for me to fly to Cambodia to volunteer in anyway they would let me. Visiting the website constantly, I have seen the quote I opened up with. And I was like 'oh yes, that's perfect for this situation.' To succumb means "to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire." Hence, this quote all summed up is letting the overall size ( whether energy, numerical, stress level, time, etc.)  of your problem stop you from pursuing either speaking up or helping out. Human Sex Trafficking is an ENORMOUS problem that seems so unfixable that most just decide to not even bother trying. There is an estimated 27 million people enslaved right this second. That is insane to even fathom. Every 30 seconds someone is a victim of this trade of humans. It seems nearly impossible to even consider trying to help because at this rate you are one person trying to help 27 million people who are usually hidden in brothels or never given justice due to the severity of the problem & danger they are placed in, but what about the one? What about the one young 6 year old girl who has been repeatedly raped & sold for money for years who is OWNED by a man who could care less about her ?? What about the one young boy who is gang raped because he is sold by his parents in order to make a living for the household? What if Pastor Leigh hadn't of helped the ONE girl who needed help for her friend? What would have happened to that sweet innocent soul who was being sold in a brothel? chances are she would have been left for dead in the street whenever they were done with her.. Thank God she realized that just because she couldn't save them all.. she could save that one girl who was given a hope driven by a shot of bravery. what if YOU decided to help THE ONE? What if YOU decided to speak up for THE ONE? Over & over this quote has just pondered along in my mind & heart. I just keep repeating it over & over like a song I just cannot seem to get out of my head. It is what so many of us do. We let the enormity of the problem keep us from being brave enough to help who we can even if that may only be one. Brave.. when I think of brave I see a woman who doesn't let fear, doubt, circumstance, or doubt enter her heart nor her mind. She does what needs done even when she is unsure she will succeed. Pastor Leigh brought up Esther.. Esther had everything she could have ever wanted. I mean she was bling bling up in a castle. Then she was faced with a mega super problem.. now, (pause) who thinks she is (a) gonna continue eating the fancy foods & twirling her rubies, or (b) is Queen Esther gonna one up her problem ? I am just going to assume you choose choice b. YES, Esther shows bravery. She shows heart for her passion, heart for God's kingdom. she does not let the failure of what COULD happen stop her from DOING what she knows is God's plan. Sure, she probably was like 'man, I just don't know if I can actually do this because the problem seems so much bigger then me', but she didn't yield to the problem at hand, she busted right through it. ( Esther is the bomb).. but too often I choose the what could happen instead.. Is that not what so many of us do? We hide behind the problem.  We use it as an umbrella on a hot day to just shield us from the sun which is bright because we are scared it may burn us even though we have sunscreen on ( yes, I just used sunscreen & Jesus as metaphors ). We decide, that we would rather not have a hint of failure even if it means we change someone's life forever. Now, I realize not everyone's' passion is mine, so this is not geared just solely at the problem of trafficking. This is geared to what stops YOU from stepping out to make a change. When I was thinking bout all the different areas I let the enormity of my problem stop me, I immediately thought about my high school/ college. The situation of the ENORMOUS percentage of students who have decided Jesus is not a person they need & most don't really care if they know him at all. I see it all the time, everyday. The majority of the teenagers/adults I attend school with do not know Jesus as their lord & savior. They are intimidating. Now, you may have the mindset I originally did.... which is.. ' Well.. I mean, I love Jesus, I love church, I love ministry. I know God wants me to share what he has done in my life BUT nobody is going to listen to me anyways if I start being 'religious,' so I think I will just keep my mouth shut'' .. yep, that was me & to my teenage friends out there.. I feel you. It is easy to just turn our Jesus love lights on dim. but we so are not called to do that. I feel the fear of being made fun of or 'doing it wrong.'  Like if I show the joy or love Jesus gives me, I'll be walking around smiling all big & they will think I am out of my mind smiling to myself on a rainy monday. .. Or the fact jumps in my mind that chances are I will not reach every last person in my school. I feel like a failure of not being able to share the word of God 'good enough' to get everyone to Christ.. but what about THE ONE. What about the one person who gets a taste of living water? what about the one girl who is feeling abandoned & just needs the love of a heavenly father? or the one guy who is on the verge of suicide or substance abuse because he has no hope?.. but you decided to let the fact you may not be able to draw his friend to Christ , stop you from bringing him to Jesus who can & will spare his life?  ... the one. YOU can help THE ONE. Be brave.. brave enough share the life change Jesus did for you.  Don't keep it all for yourself, God gave us mouths to share his word. No matter what is spoken to you , even if someone says it is not worth it because you will never be the change for them all.. be the one who can say I, by God's lead, was the change of THE ONE. Afterall.. you were someone's.. the one.