I'll Know It's Home When...

Late nights: are they a blessing or a curse? Despite the fact that I can’t sleep, I’m finding late nights to be a blessing. Everyone’s asleep; the house is dark; I’m sitting under the covers of my warm bed while listening to Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong for the 7^th time tonight and I can feel the presence of God. It’s moments like these, in the dark of the night, that I've begun to appreciate.

It’s nights like these, after I've had a marathon day full of kids, music, stress, friends and chaos, that I need most. It’s nights like these that make me think about everything that’s gone on lately.

So much has happened in the past year, I can’t begin to describe how in awe I am. God flipped my life inside out and upside down. It started with what I wrote about in this post.

For a little while there, after we left RH, I was a little "wobbly", so to speak, in my faith. I wasn't sure why God would take us away from something so good. 

We got plugged into a (BIG) church the end of May where I barely knew anyone and we went to Summer Camp that July. I was pretty angry. More like furious. Honestly, I hardly heard a word the speaker said that entire week (I WAS SOOOO STUPID!!!) but I remember on Thursday night at camp, I asked for prayer for the situation. That was a turning point. The last few days of camp were amazing.

We kept going to the same church, despite the fact that I didn't really want to. One day, I made a deal with God. (which was another dumb move...) I told Him, "If I hear 'One Thing Remains' (a really awesome worship song) I'll know stay at Calvary." 

About one month later, I was still a little iffy about being at that church, but it was starting to grow on me. I had a few friends and they were cool, but I wasn't sure of... I just wasn't sure. By then, I'd forgotten about my "deal" with God.

But guess what song was introduced at the Kaleo service that night? Yes, One Thing Remains. I immediately remembered and realized my prayers had been answered. I'd NEVER told ANYONE about that deal I made, but God knew. That was all I needed.

Soon after, my sister and I started going to the youth group and got involved in the worship band. We made awesome new friends, got to know some fantastic, sold-out for God leaders and we suddenly felt at home. We were accepted. After being rejected, wounded and abandoned (maybe I was the only one that felt that way for a while...)  we were accepted and wanted and NEEDED!

 It's been spectacular! It's only gotten better over the past couple months.

God can do amazing things. No, He WILL do amazing things. Especially when you're at your lowest.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

God's power is made perfect when we're too weak to do it on our own.

Seriously. I'm still blown away and brought to my knees when I think of this past season. Thank you, God for being there in everything!

“Sometimes God redeems us from our struggles, but sometimes God redeems us through our struggles.”  -Mike Donehey, lead singer of Tenth Avenue North