God>Barriers

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

This is one of the most powerful verses for a Christian to hear and to truly believe. God’s love is more powerful than ANYTHING that we may come in contact with on this earth. There is nothing that can separate us from His grace. So this is great and all, but how can we apply this to our life? How can we truly feel that God’s love does not end when we mess up or are in an uncomfortable situation? How can we know that God’s love is not dependent upon the environment or atmosphere around us?

If you asked me this a month ago, I do not know if I would be able to give you a concrete answer. Since moving to Switzerland, I can see God’s love and grace preserving through the barriers that stand in my way. As I stated earlier, it’s been a challenge to be in a church community where English is not the main language spoken. I decided, through prayer and conversation with God, to continue to worship God regardless of the language that is spoken. After a week of being obedient, I felt God’s grace and love so strongly through a gathering with the Church community. 

God’s love and grace preserved through the language barrier that stood in my way. His Spirit overcame! He loves and cares so much for me and for you that there is nothing that will defeat His infinite love. By embracing His will rather than my own, He provided me with the fruits of the Spirit which are love, peace, gentleness, humbleness, kindness, generosity,etc. Even listening to conversations that I cannot understand, I am not frustrated or upset with myself but rather am filled with peace and love. I use the time rather to pray for those who are conversing before me. 

The most beautiful part of all of this is that this is God’s doing, not my own. If it were just me on my own I would be upset, hurt, and frustrated with myself. I would feel stupid for not knowing the language and not being able to speak to those around me. God has overcome me and is now the one living within my soul. He is the one that has given me the peace during difficult situations and the love for the people around me. Oh, God You are truly great!

The Paths of Life

As I overlooked the Lake of Constance in Germany yesterday, I thought to myself how the heck did I get here. I thought back to how my life was in grade school, then on to high school, and after college. I thought about all of the wonderful people I’ve met and had the opportunity to share life with. I pondered all the different paths of life I could have potentially took based upon the decisions I made. Most importantly, I wondered where has God’s hand been in all of this?

Was He walking right beside me even when I did not take the time to speak to Him? Was His Spirit alive when I cared for others all though I did not necessarily point it back to Him?

While putting this to prayer, I realized that He has been there, He has guided my every step and ensured that it was placed in the best place to grow and develop my soul into what He has designed it to be. God has called me to this season of life in Switzerland, He has called me to be amongst this community, a member of this family, and existent in this culture. He has called me to love above all else. God makes no mistakes. When we make ourselves available to be used by Him, His existence in our life is amplified. Our lives become an example for others to come into His love. 

Although we have freewill and may go down paths of life that may not be God-honoring, God’s grace can meet anyone, at anytime, and in anyplace. God reveals to His children the path of life and provides the everlasting joy when we enter into His presence, our true delight is with Him! He is truly amazing.

Ready or Not, Switzerland Here I Come!

As I begin to prepare for my move to Switzerland, I cannot help but feel many mixed emotions. Of course I am beyond excited to begin a new life in a beautiful, intriguing, foreign country, but at the same time, I am sad to say good bye to friends, family, and the comfort of the American-lifestyle. I decided to give these emotions to God this morning, in hopes that He would see my weakness and give me strength to joyfully continue on with the good byes.

The Spirit lead me into the Word and I began reading about Paul’s missions in Acts. It reads, “The holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”(Acts 21:23-24)

After reading this passage, I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. My life should be of no importance to me. I am simply a tool God is using on this earth to bring more people to Him. I really am not that big of a deal. God gave me a specific command to move to Switzerland and if He is pulling me out there, He will pull me through the goodbyes and unease of a new country. He will replace any turmoil in my heart with His everlasting peace.He needs me to be uncomfortable and to hurt in order to bring about new growth.

While reflecting upon the ER visit I wrote about in my previous post, I realized God brought me through that situation not only so that I can suffer for Him, but mainly to show me that He will always be there to comfort, guide, and support me through EVERYTHING that life throws at us, including a move over the pond into foreign countries:) 

What a beautiful and amazing God we have!