I rang in my twenty-third birthday this month. To be sure, my birthday was a time of celebration, remembering all I've been blessed with and excitement for the year to come. Much has happened, both externally and internally, in the past year; I can't imagine what this next year has in store for me.
The biggest themes running through my life these days are love and freedom.
More than ever before, I've come to realize the love God has for me. As I've encountered God's love and come to understand it more, I've been able to love myself more. But it doesn't end with me, either; it's a love that keeps on giving. As my metaphorical cup has overflowed with God's love, I've had more to give to everyone around me. In a season of life that has been so dry for so long, when more often than not I've felt like I was on empty and had nothing left to give, God's shown me His vast, mysterious love, the same love He's poured out for the world.
And then... freedom. I've experienced a lot of freedom since being here, but especially over the past five months or so. I've found freedom from others' expectations, freedom from my own expectations, freedom from shame, freedom from condemnation, and so much more. But ultimately, I've been freed from myself. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, wrote the apostle Paul. That is indeed the life I'm growing into.
The first year of my internship is quickly coming to a close. We have this next month off from our usual activities to start our gifts project, discerning our strengths and passions and figuring out how those fit into the communities we've settled into. I am excited to see what happens in the second and final year of my internship. If it's anything like the first, it'll be hard at times, but there will be growth and joy abundant... I'm sure of it.
Year two? Let's go.