To those who have waited patiently since the beginning of this blogging experiment for me I thank you! Trust me, I know how lame it is that in Feburary I joined this with the dreams and aspirations to become a consistant mark in the world that is blogging, but alas this is my first contribution. In my defense I want to blog only when an event could touch my heart enough to write about it, and although this past semester has been filled with great memories and challenging moments none of them hail in comparison to the emotions that have stirred in my heart the last few weeks. All of this I'm sure didn't need to be said, and considering I'm the self proclaimed king of what doesnt need to be said....as well as the king of being awesome, it's fitting that it was said. But enough of this introduction nonsense, on to the good stuff!
For those who don't know, this past year of my life has been devoted to the kingdom that Gods creating in little ol' Brady, Texas. I've learned that alot of people in the world are skeptical about "Gods calling" and if thats just something fancy that Christians say in spiritual conversation, but I've seen that everything in my life and most recently the last year of my life has been nothing less than a powerful testament that "calling" is more than just a fancy word. This past year I was blessed to have two other people join me in Brady, to pour into the youth of this community. Through the good and the bad, and the easy and the hard times we were side by side, together fighting for the most precious ideals that we believed in. It was very apparent to me within the first week i spent with Mckenna and Melissa that they were going to be way more than just co-workers in my life. Within days of being with them, I felt comfortable coming to them with any situation in my life and knowing that they would be there for me no matter what. Alot of times we were each others ears to listen to and shoulders to cry on, and before I knew it I had two amazing sisters in my life (my brudder is awesome and all, but i always wanted a sis as well!) But like all seasons of life the days turned into weeks, which turned into months and before i knew it, it was May 16th and they were moving on and following Gods calling away from Brady.
It's not a secret that in all instances saying goodbye can be a pretty hard thing to do. Obviously the intensity of how hard it is, is matched up with what kind of goodbye it is. Like saying goodbye to a group of friends that you had a fun weekend with may stink for a little bit, but can easily be remidied by a catchy Taylor Swift song that comes on the radio. Although I think Taylor's great, she doesnt have a song written that could have held back the tears that were shed when i saw the girls drive away last Saturday morning. Goodbye's are definitly not fun. Alot of times they can feel like a chunk of your heart is ripped out, never to be seen again BUUUUUUUUUT the beautiful thing about how God works is that you can see it again! With Mckenna and Melissa it's easy for me to see. Being that I'm staying in Brady for another year, I'll get to see them all the time in the faces of every girl that was forever influenced by Mckenna and Melissa. I'll see them (literally) in the tons and tons of pictures that I have of all of us sharing life together this past year. There are sooooo many memories that we made together that even though they may not physically be here, it would be impossible to forget them and the impact that they've made on me.
Something that my boss Phil has been known to say from time to time is that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. In my experience it's shown that all three of those senario's have the capability to positivly change a life. Some of the people in my life who i only knew for a month have made lasting marks on my heart that will never go away. Weather it's a reason a season or a lifetime that someone comes into your life, all have the capability to impact another with their actions, with their belief, and with love. The word love is used an astonishing 551 times in the Bible. It's my belief that love can look alot of different ways to alot of different people but ultimatly every thought and action that can be molded into love comes from the perfect image of Jesus Christ. As Christians we are suppose to imitate Christ's life every hour of every day. Were not suppose to be perfect but we are called to be different and how was are different can be seen in our mercy for people and compassion for peopleand through forgiveness, but the most evident way to be an image of God is how we LOVE people. Love is why i know my parent will be with me forever...because of their love they had for me and my love i had for them. The same goes with my high school and college friends. Although relationships change the way they look due to the changing of the seasons in our lives, the love that people have for each other keeps the bond of friendship together that cannot be broken. Thats why i know Mckenna and Melissa will always be a part of my life. I may not be right next door to them anymore, but because of the way we loved and cared for each other I know that 20 years from now they will still hold a special place in my heart. 1 John 4:19 says that "We love because He first loved us." As long as we keep that verse in the forefront of our minds with every relationship were a part of, when goodbye's come they wont sting as bad. Instead they will be a blessed time of reflection where you get to relize how lucky you are to have friends who love you as much as they did. To all my friends, if you dont know already, i miss ya and love ya and am blessed to have you in my life!
A little long winded for my first blog i know...but hopefully you enjoyed! Remember the value of loving like God loved us and how much more your heart can be filled if your life is a reflection of that in every action of every day. Holla atcha soon!
