Greater Things Are Yet To Come

But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-- the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love. -Acts 20:24

I found this verse right before I sent out my first newsletter about YWAM. Since then, I've tried to make it my motto. Because to be honest, I've tried living my life every other way. I've tried living for myself. I've tried living for friends, boyfriends, and vague religious programs or goals. It doesn't work. And more than not working, it makes me miserable. Every time I take my eyes off of Jesus, things start to spiral out of control. Not that life isn't just as crazy with Jesus, but it's a matter of perspective. It's like when you're spinning on a merry-go-round. I used to play on them all the time as a kid, and I loved them! When you're on one, you have two options. Either you stare off of it at the world flying by, getting dizzy and disoriented. Or you stare at the center, and you focus on that spot rather than focusing on all the other changing things.

It's like that with Jesus. This life is spinning around so fast, and we're just sitting there hanging on for dear life. Sometimes it goes so fast we lose our grip and fall off. But when you hold tight and look to Jesus, that doesn't happen nearly as often. Because He is the rock of our foundation. It truly is meant to be. We were created to be with Him, and to love Him. Out of loving Him, we find our purpose in fulfilling the plans He has for us. It usually takes me a while to figure out those plans. I mean, not only am I stubborn but I also am a dreamer. I see a leaf and my mind jumps to autumn, leaves falling, raking the leaves, this one vacation in North Carolina where me and my two older siblings raked the leaves and jumped in. I'll remember all my green autumn and winters spent in the Caribbean. Maybe I'll think how beautiful the different colors are, how amazing the webbing, and how intricate the design. It's amazing to me to think through all the little things. God is everywhere.

So if God is everywhere, on this merry-go-round life and in the little leaves falling daily, then doesn't it make sense that He is in our plans? I personally love dreaming up new plans. Slight possibility I might go somewhere new? Awesome! I start imagining what may happen there the minute I find out. But where the dreams meet reality is when those musings start happening. And what's really cool is remembering old dreams that are now coming true. I love that feeling. It suddenly feels like dejah vu, and then you realize it's because you've been longing for this for so long! What's greater is taking a moment to think about it, and then realizing that God waited for just the right moment to allow it to happen.

All the ways that God surprises us, all the ways we hold tight or let go, all the times we witness our dreams. It's in those little moments that big things happen. Waiting in line at the airport, staring out the window on a long car ride. Or walking under the stars. I did that last night. It was such a gorgeous night! The moon was shinning like day, the night was crisp and clear. And I was walking just thinking, “How many nights did I look up in longing at all the clouds in Honduras? Trying to settle for the small glimpses of sky between clouds? My soul nearly bursting just to see the full sky again... And now here I am. This is it. That beautiful sky I yearned for for so long.” I stood in awe under that night sky. And as I walked, a song came to me. It's come over the past few months at random times. We would sing it at Bible study in Siguatepeque, I sang it on a prayer walk in San Pedro, Belize, and I sang it last night. To me, it was an answer to prayer to be singing it. I don't know where it came from, but I could feel God all around me in the cold night air. And it brought me peace to walk along that road, under the open sky, my heart nearly bursting as I sang. That's my quiet moment with God. That's when I know I'm close to Him, and He's walking beside me faithfully.

“Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city”