Tuesday, August 18, 2015

10 Things I Learned This Summer


As this summer is coming to an end, I can't help but to stop and reflect on everything that has happened during these last couple of months. This summer has been the most fulfilling summer I've ever had. I spent the majority of the summer interning at a church summer camp for elementary aged children, and also worked with the middle and high school group at the church during youth camp and doing mission work with refugees. This summer was one time in my life where I felt that I was doing what I was put here on this earth to do. It was what I was created for. I was using what God had given me to help influence others and change lives. This summer I got just a glimpse of what it feels like to walk in my God given purpose and be completely fulfilled in every moment of every day.

So many wonderful things have happened this summer, along with a share of not so wonderful things, but all of it taught me something, and that is what I want to share with you.

So here is a list of things that God has taught me this summer:


1. I Am Chosen

So, like I said, this summer has been extremely fulfilling for me and I know now that this is what God made me for. But it didn't start off like that. The beginning of this summer, for the first couple of weeks I was working, I was dealing with so much anxiety and doubt and fear and just questioning things. I was letting the enemy feed me lies such as I'm not good enough for this, I don't belong here, etc. and while I didn't let those lies stop me, I surely wasn't combatting them the way I should have been. I remember one day while I was struggling to make myself believe the truth over those lies, God whispered to me and reminded me that He chose me for this. He. Chose. Me. I could have been doing a million different things this summer, but He saw fit to place me where He had me and He specifically chose for me to be there. In the same way that He chose me for the internship, He also chose me to be His. He chose me, and He chose you. We are chosen and we are loved.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit- fruit that will last- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." -John 15:16

2. Truth Brings Freedom

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” -Galatians 5:1

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” -John 8:36


Every time I read these verses in the past, I read them in terms of sin. So when God brought these verses to my attention again this summer, I was a bit confused because I knew I was already free from the bondage of sin. However God kept leading me back to these verses, and after much confirmation, I finally figured out why. Freedom in Christ is not only limited to freedom from sin and the penalty of sin. Freedom in Christ is also how we are to live every moment of every day. And one thing that prevents us from living freely? Fear. I already told y'all how fear attacked me so much this summer, so once I realized that freedom in Christ not only meant freedom from sin, but also freedom from fear, it's like I had an "Aha! Moment", and chains were broken. Fear is a lie because it is the opposite of truth. Truth sets free. Fear keeps you in bondage. Jesus is truth. Jesus sets free. Jesus came to free us from SO much, including fear. Part of the abundant life Jesus came to give us is living freely. When we're living in fear, we're not experiencing everything God has planned for us. When we are set free from fear, we can experience this abundant life Jesus talks about.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” -John 8:32

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” -John 10:10

3. I am a light shining in the darkness.

As scary as the darkness may seem, as frightening as it may appear, as daunting as it may be, there is no reason for me to be afraid, for God is with me and He goes before me.

"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8

I have the light of Jesus on the inside of me. I am a light in this dark world. If I don't go into the darkness, who will? If I don't go and bring hope and light to those in darkness, who will? If I let fear prevent me from shining like I need to, there will be people in darkness with no way out. I am here to shine. I am here to light up the darkness. I am here to run towards the darkness, not away from it.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." -Isaiah 60:1-3

4. God is not disappointed in me; God is pleased with me.

Four times this summer, on four separate occasions, I have been told "God is pleased with you," and each time I heard that I felt relieved, but at the same time I couldn't help but think "What did I do?? Why is God pleased with me?? I didn't do anything!" (I was actually pretty shocked when I heard it the first time because I felt that I had been letting God down and Him being pleased with me was the last thing I would've thought.) It wasn't until the last time I heard it that things began to click.

“And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."” -Matthew 3:17

When God said this about Jesus, it was before Jesus began His ministry. It was before He performed any miracles. It was before He died on the cross. God wasn't pleased with Jesus because of the things Jesus had done, but God was pleased with Jesus because Jesus is His beloved Son. In the same way, God is not pleased with me because of what I have or haven't done. He is pleased with me because I am His beloved daughter, that is enough for Him. That is true for me, and it is also true for you.

5. I have power

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” -Matthew 28:18-20

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -Acts 1:8


God has shown me this over and over this summer, and the Bible makes this so clear. I have the power of the living God on the inside of me. Knowing it is just the first step. Now it's time for me to actually start using it.

6. I don't have to save the world

After sharing with multiple people the burden that I have for several different countries and people without Christ, I began to feel overwhelmed. "Lord there's so much for me to do. How am I supposed to reach all of those people? When am I going to be able to? How many people will die before I even get a chance to encounter them with the Gospel?" But then I was reminded that I cannot save anybody. Only Jesus can. God in His sovereignty knows how to reach the unreached with the Gospel. If He uses me to bring the Good News to them, wonderful. If not, God is still God, He sits on the throne, He has so many more workers here on this earth. He doesn't HAVE to use me. He can use anyone. I am not the only one called to bring the light of the Gospel to these dark places. I don't have to be overwhelmed with the amount of work that I have to do, because I'm not the only one doing it. God is doing the work through me, but He is also doing it through so many others.

"I have learned that I will not change the world, Jesus will do that. I can however, change the world for one person." -Katie Davis

7. God's plans for my life look a whole lot different than I thought they did

As we all know, God is full of surprises. You think you've got Him all figured out, then come to find out, you don't. That's what happened to me this summer in a way that literally and completely changed my life, in regards to what God was calling me to do vs. what I thought He was calling me to do.

I came across this blog which explains exactly what I mean when I say this, and this is pretty much the same thing God revealed to me (minus the horses lol) concerning the passions He has given me and how to use those things for His purpose in my life.

"My passions were no longer something selfish, but were something God placed there specifically so I would use them for his kingdom and his ministry." -Savannah Ruker

8. Love the hard ones and don't take any of them for granted

We all have those people in our lives who are just plain hard. Hard to deal with, hard to relate to, hard to be around, hard to talk to, hard to _____, you fill in the blank. There were a few people like that that I had to deal with this summer, and it was hard in the beginning, but God showed me that even though they are the "hard ones" to me, God still loves them, and He also wants me to love them. So when it comes to the hard ones, we have one thing to do: love them. Don't try to change them, don't try to make them alter their personalities, don't try to make them be someone that they're not. Love them with the love of Jesus, and that is what will change them. We can't do anything, but God will do everything. There's no such thing as a bad kid, just a kid who needs a little bit of extra love. And when you go out of your way to intentionally love them and intentionally show them that Jesus loves them through the way that you treat them, your heart will be softened and you will know just a little bit more of God's love.

9. There is joy in the Lord; The world didn't give it to me and the world surely can't take it away

Literally so much (good & bad) has happened this summer, but one thing I know for sure is that things come and go. There are ups & downs throughout life, and emotions to match. But one thing that is constant is the joy of the Lord. Actually realizing what that is, what that means, and how to have it really changed me this summer. I could have been having an awful day, and then start laughing out of nowhere. Not because anything happened, but because God is good and His joy is something that doesn't make sense in the natural. I don't understand it, but one thing I do know is that no matter what may come my way, I can count on God to bring joy in and out of every situation. God's joy isn't dependent upon circumstances, therefore there is nothing that can get rid of it. This joy isn't from this world, and therefore cannot be taken away by this world.

10. I am worth it

My identity is found in Christ. My value is found in Christ. I am God's most prized possession, and therefore I deserve to be treated as such. No that doesn't mean people should be serving me all the time and waiting on me hand and foot (it's actually the opposite! I should be the one serving others), but what it does mean is that I don't deserve to just be treated any type of way and neither do you. I don't have to settle. I am no one's second choice. I have worth, and I need to know it, believe it, and live like it. And the same thing goes for you. You are worth it.

"He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession." -James 1:18

So there you have it.

An extremely brief summary of the wide range of things that God has taught me this summer. This summer has changed my life and I refuse for things to just go back to "normal" now that it's almost time for school to start back up and getting back in the routine of going to class and meetings and other obligations. Just because the summer is over, doesn't mean this is the end. In fact it's just the beginning and I'm so glad to be able to share with you the wonderful things that I have come to realize this summer, and I hope you come to realize them for yourself, too :)

God bless!
♥ Elisha