Treasure up & Ponder

I don't really even know where to begin.
My summer really, truly changed my life. Spending 2 months in Bali, Indonesia, in the middle of nowhere (literally the "ends of the earth!"), opened the eyes of my heart to the great plans God has for me. I realized my selfish ambitions and was humbled over the service and dedication that Jesus Christ had, as is beautifully stated in Philippians 2. I bonded with Godly young women, who encouraged me daily and challenged me to truly meditate on Christ's work day & night. I was daily inspired by the most dedicated and beautiful Indonesian woman I have ever met to make the most of every opportunity, as it commands in Ephesians, to share the hope that I have and the source of my joy with all people. I learned the true power and faithfulness of God as I read through the Old Testament throughout the summer, and I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside believers as my team read through Acts. All of this to say, I will never be the same.

Village life provided the opportunity for me to grow spiritually at a pace I never thought imaginable. People there live daily to simply survive. No agendas or to-do lists, no deadlines or hurries, simply working in the fields and day-to-day interaction with those they happened to pass by. At first, this bugged me to no end. I truly got bored as a result of the slow-ness of life. There was no communication with anyone outside of the village- it was just me, my Bible, my teammates, and the sweet villagers. But as the weeks wore on, I began to realize how much of the Old Testament I had conquered & learned from and how much sweet time in prayer to Jesus I had been able to experience! I could go on and on about the many things I learned.

Now that I am back in the US, I am absolutely overwhelmed with all that has happened in the past week & a half. As I sit here wisdom teeth-less, fat face & all, I finally have an opportunity to stop and consider all that has happened in the past 2 weeks. I have met up with friends, bought a car, had mouth surgery, unpacked & repacked, prepared for the wedding of a close friend, updated everyone on the spiritual state of Bali, evaluated old & new relationships, and reset the focus of my life. On top of that, I am completely rethinking where my future will be spent. Waduh, how in the world can I let all that sink in as I'm even still struggling with the remaining effects of jet lag and anesthesia?! It is unbelievable how fast-paced my life has been in the past 2 weeks!

In my quiet time with the Lord this morning, as I considered how overwhelmed I was, I read from Luke 2 how Mary "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) I'm sure she felt overwhelmed after giving birth to the Savior of the world in a new town! It was an encouragement to me to simply stop and consider all that the Lord has done in my life the past few months. Sometimes we just need that little moment to STOP and just meditate on Him, don't you think? So, put down your phone and laptop. Set aside your planner and your car keys, and sit down to meditate on how the Lord has been working in your life. Rest in the arms of His unfailing Love. It feels so wonderful to snuggle up to the Father in Heaven, doesn't it?! I love my Father!