5 THINGS I LEARNED LIVING IN GAINESVILLE

As a way for me to say goodbye and close the door on this season of my life of living in Gainesville, Georgia, i thought i would share 5 of the many things the Lord has taught me these past three months. 

1. I GET TO REJOICE THROUGH THE TRIALS

    If you follow me on social media or have talked to me the past three months, it may      seem like an amazing time. And it was, but it wasn’t perfect, we weren’t happy all the      time. We were still living life and life has its ups and downs. For me there was a span      of about two weeks where i was hazving really bad nightmares that would stick with        me during the day. I wasn’t really getting any sleep, and during the days i walked            around exhausted. After a few days of feeling super down, I decided it wasn’t for me        and that i was walking through this for a reason. The Lord doesn’t ask us to be                miserable through our trials, but he also doesn’t want us to become numb to the              struggle. He asks us to rejoice and be still because he is fighting our battles. When I        chose Joy, the nightmares didn’t go away but it got easier to deal with. He surrounded      me with the people i needed to get through it. 

2. I AM A DAUGHTER AND FRIEND OF GOD

   Since moving to Gainesville, the Lord has been pressing my identity into me. As soon      as i got there my team leader, Ellie told me that this season would be a time where he      shows me my identity in the kingdom, the way he created me before i was even born.      As time went on, he kept showing me new sides of who he says I am. I learned to            walk as a daughter knowing his loving, caring and protecting me as a Father. But i            also am learning what it looks like to be his friend, that he not only loves me but likes      me and wants to be with me.  

3. I AM WORTHY

  A simple truth that can be really hard to believe sometimes.  When God created us he     didn’t make any of us unworthy. But overtime it was something I chose to believe.           When I got baptized in November, the Lord had been tearing the belief of                       unworthiness out of me. When I came out of the water all the lies fell off of me and I       chose to walk in the belief that I am worthy. I am worthy of being a daughter and           friend of God, I am worthy of the community he has surrounded me with. Not only           that but I am worthy of being known, seen and loved. There is nothing anyone can do     to take that away from me.

4. I AM A GARDENER IN HIS KINGDOM

   In one of our teachings, we had speakers from GlobalU come and speak on how to          lead ourselves. They told us to ask God what he created us for. When I asked God this      question I kept hearing the word gardener. And at first it really didn’t make much            sense to me. After i thought about it a bit i realized, the Lord tends to teach me              things through images of flowers. A squadmate of mine spoke into that title and it            gave me clarity on how the father sees me. I get to cultivate and nourish the people        around me, how cool is that?

5. JESUS IS MY HOME

  This is something He has been teaching me since the day I left home to move to              Gainesville. My home is found in Him. He is my refuge, my safe place and comfort. He      showed me how temporary a physical home is and how permanent He is. As Christ          followers are home is in heaven and we are not home yet. Why should I waste my          time here on this Earth seeking comfort and a physical place to settle down, when            truly time is fleeting and I don’t want to miss out on the home I find in Jesus. 

As I reflect on the past three months of my life, I am so grateful for all that it held and all the memories and things I learned that i get to carry with me for the rest of my life. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for the next few months.