Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Searching for Truth and Light - Buscando la Verdad y la Luz


Lately I’ve thought a lot about what it really is to be in Christ’s light.  This idea keeps coming up and I don’t know exactly what to do with it.  It started months ago when I was doing a puzzle with some friends.  We worked for a few hours and didn’t really notice that it had been getting dark until it was so dark that we couldn’t tell the difference between several of the colors.  When we finally moved the puzzle into better light it was like a whole new picture.  One of my friends said, “It’s like Jesus lighting up the dark places in our lives!”  Those words painted such a vivid picture for me.  Soooo, I decided to do some research.

1 John 1:5-10 says, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

The most recent part of my search was a word from a woman at my church in the States.  She asked me to coffee after I spoke one Sunday because she said that she had a word that God wanted me to hear.  We had a good long talk that day but part of what she told me was kind of a “parable.”  She told me to picture myself in a beautiful radiant dress that God himself has given me, but that when I look down one day I see that I have gotten a hole in my dress and then I see another and another and I begin to cry out to God apologizing and crying for the mess I made of my dress.  Soon God looks down and with one finger, touches the holes in my dress turning them into beautiful lace.  She reminded me that our God brings all things into the light.  He makes all things new and he heals all wounds.

I’ve had some moments in the last few months where I have felt like I am failing.  Failing to be the right kind of person, failing to be good enough, just failing, but failure is not my truth and I serve a God who brings the truth to light.  So, what is my truth? I’m not sure I completely know yet, but I know the more light I learn to shine in my life the clearer the truth will be, the more fellowship I will have, the more forgiveness I will have and the more lace I will find where I used to have holes.

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Últimamente he pensado mucho sobre lo que realmente es estar a la luz de Cristo. Esta idea sigue surgiendo y no sé exactamente qué hacer con ella. Comenzó hace meses cuando estaba haciendo un rompecabezas con algunos amigos. Trabajamos durante unas horas y no nos dimos cuenta de que había estado oscureciendo hasta que estuvo tan oscuro que no pudimos distinguir la diferencia entre varios de los colores. Cuando finalmente movimos el rompecabezas a una mejor luz, era como una imagen completamente nueva. Uno de mis amigos dijo: "¡Es como si Jesús iluminara los lugares oscuros de nuestras vidas!" Esas palabras me pintaron una imagen tan vívida. Entonces, decidí investigar un poco.

1 Juan 1: 5-10 dice: “Este es el mensaje que hemos oído de él y que les anunciamos: Dios es luz y en él no hay ninguna oscuridad. Si afirmamos que tenemos comunión con él, pero vivimos en la oscuridad, mentimos y no ponemos en práctica la verdad. Pero, si vivimos en la luz, así como él está en la luz, tenemos comunión unos con otros, y la sangre de su Hijo Jesucristo nos limpia de todo pecado. Si afirmamos que no tenemos pecado, nos engañamos a nosotros mismos y no tenemos la verdad. Si confesamos nuestros pecados, Dios, que es fiel y justo, nos los perdonará y nos limpiará de toda maldad. Si afirmamos que no hemos pecado, lo hacemos pasar por mentiroso y su palabra no habita en nosotros.”

La parte más reciente de mi búsqueda fueron las palabras de una mujer en mi iglesia en los Estados Unidos. Un domingo ella me pidió salir por un café para hablar porque dijo que tenía una palabra que Dios quería que escuchara. Tuvimos una buena conversación ese día, pero parte de lo que ella me dijo fue una especie de "parábola". Me dijo que me imaginara con un hermoso vestido radiante que Dios mismo me había regalado, pero que cuando miro hacia abajo un día, veo que tengo un agujero en mi vestido y luego veo otro y otro y empiezo a gritarle a Dios disculpándome y llorando por el desastre que hice de mi vestido. Pronto Dios mira hacia abajo y con un dedo toca los agujeros en mi vestido convirtiéndolos en hermosos encajes. Ella me recordó que nuestro Dios trae todas las cosas a la luz. Hace todas las cosas nuevas y cura todas las heridas.

He tenido algunos momentos en los últimos meses en los que he sentido que estoy fallando. No ser el tipo correcto de persona, no ser lo suficientemente bueno, simplemente fallar, pero el fracaso no es mi verdad y sirvo a un Dios que saca a la luz la verdad. Entonces, ¿cuál es mi verdad? No estoy seguro de saberlo completamente todavía, pero sé que cuanta más luz aprenda a brillar en mi vida, más clara será la verdad, más comunión tendré, más perdón tendré y más encaje encontraré donde solía tener agujeros.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Return - El Regreso


So, it’s been almost 2 years since I updated this blog.  I could say that I’ve been busy, but the truth is that I have been avoiding it.  As a mathy person writing is not necessarily my forte and when I stopped, I felt like I didn’t have a voice.  Even now, I’m not sure I believe that people will want to read what I have to say, but this page keeps nagging at the back of my mind and I think there is a reason.  I’m not sure what yet, but it’s titled No Turning Back so onward I go.

At One Collective they teach that vision is the goal you want to see complete in the future and mission is the path you follow to reach that goal.  Starting over means finding my voice… the vision and the mission for this blog and the reasons I am writing it. 

So, starting today:
The Vision is Christ; a life saturated in His light and His truth. 
The Mission is, whether I am standing firm or falling on my face, to be transparent about my search for Him and what He is teaching me on a daily basis.

Sure, I will talk about Ecuador; I will talk about my family and my friends; I will talk about the amazing and ridiculous young men that drive what I do on the daily; And I will probably talk about giant bugs that I find in the jungle.  But I will also talk about what God is doing in my heart and in my life and about which passages of scripture are speaking to me in the moment.

Welcome back! I hope I don’t disappoint.

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Han pasado casi 2 años desde que actualicé este blog.  Podría decir que he estado ocupada, pero la verdad es que lo he estado evitando.  Como una persona de matemáticas, escribir no es necesariamente mi fuerte y cuando paré, sentí que no tenía voz.  Incluso ahora, no estoy segura de creer que otros quieren leer lo que tengo que decir, pero esta página sigue molestandome en el fondo de mi mente y creo que hay una razón.  Todavía no estoy segura de qué, pero se llama Sin Vuelta Atrás, así que sigo.

En One Collective enseñan que la visión es el objetivo que quieres ver completo en el futuro y la misión es el camino que sigues para cumplir ese objetivo.  Comenzar de nuevo significa encontrar mi voz ... la visión y la misión de este blog y las razones por las que lo estoy escribiendo.

Entonces, a partir de hoy:
La Visión es Cristo;  una vida saturada en su luz y su verdad.

La Misión es, ya sea que me mantenga firme o me caiga de cara, ser transparente sobre mi búsqueda de Él y lo que Él me está enseñando a diario.

Claro, voy a hablar de Ecuador;  Voy a hablar de mi familia y mis amigos;  Voy a hablar de los chicos increíbles y ridículos que manejan lo que hago a diario;  Y probablemente voy a hablar sobre los insectos gigantes que encuentro en la selva.  Pero también voy a hablar sobre lo que Dios está haciendo en mi corazón y en mi vida y sobre los pasajes de La Biblia me están hablando en este momento.

¡Bienvenidos!  Espero no los decepcione.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The More of God

"We have access to the more of God as we embrace HIS identity as our Father." I had to stop and really absorb this thought as I read through my devotional today.

What is the "more" of God? 
What does it mean to have access to this "more"?
What does HE and as a result, we, have "more" of?
Do I feel like I have "more"?

I haven't posted in a while. I've been a bit overwhelmed with the mountain of new things in my life. New friends, new family, new country, new job, new language, new life...need I really continue? And sometimes I think I should only post if I have something truly profound to say. Which let's be honest, is not that often. But looking back on these last couple of months, I wonder how I could have been ignoring the more that God has brought to my life. What post could possibly be more profound than the proclamation of God's more?!?!

God promises more! God IS more!

I don't mean this in the "prosperity gospel" sense of the word. I mean that God IS more than our tiny little human brains can possibly understand. He offers us more love, more freedom, more mercy, more protection, more truth, more trust, more consistency, more comfort, more goodness, more peace, more power, more fulfillment and more life. When we ask the Holy Spirit to enter our bodies and our lives, we are escorted through a doorway to a life filled with so much more.

So what is standing between you and the more you could be living with? What is getting in the way? My anxiety and busyness are not bigger than God. I choose to walk beyond what I see in front of me today. I choose to accept God's more. I will choose daily to learn more about who God is and the more that he has planned for my life.

Have you been searching for more? Because Christ is freely and willingly offering you everything.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Passions

Too many children go home to empty houses, broken homes or to parents with drug and alcohol addictions.  Too many children don't complete their educations because they are working to support their families and too many don't believe they are good enough.

I believe that every child should have hope, equal access to an education and an introduction to Jesus.  Every child should know that they are "fearfully and wonderfully made" by the creator of the universe and should always know that they are loved.

I became a teacher to impact the lives of children and I am transitioning to Youth World for the same reason.  My passion is to show children that they are valuable and worth it.  Even if no one else is, I will be on their side.  Even on the worst of days, I will be there to remind them that the God who breathed our whole planet into existence, loves them unconditionally and created them for a purpose.

I choose to follow my passions and I choose to follow Jesus.  As I move forward, all I can hope for is that God will bring the love he has shown me, into the life of each child I serve.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Persevering with Joy

"He loves others, works hard, and overcomes his circumstances no matter how bleak the moment may seem.  I have a lot of respect for this young man.  I appreciate his intellect and fervor for science and learning and I am in awe of his compassion and his ability to show love and bring joy to each person in his life.  He is already an asset in the lives of everyone he knows and he will absolutely be a huge asset on any college campus.  I can’t wait to see what his future has in store."

Yesterday, I wrote these words in a letter of recommendation for a young man who I both admire and respect.  Ralph is a senior in high school and going through the process of applying to some of the best colleges in the country.  With an impeccable academic record and a slew of extracurricular activities, Ralphie is sure to gain entrance into a great college, but what makes me so proud is that Ralph's accomplishments are in spite of the pain and sadness that the last year has brought.  A little over a year ago, Ralph came home to find his mother and step-father arguing.  That night, his step-father and step-brother packed up their belongings and moved out of the house.  Over the last year and a half Ralph has had to get used to a brand new way of life.  He has learned to live without a father, without a brother, and with the emotion of returning to a quite lonely house when he was so used to returning to a full and bustling home.  Through these changes, Ralphie has continued to peruse life and relationships to the fullest.  He found reasons to smile, reasons to be grateful and he never looked back.

It is young men like Ralph who encourage me and give me hope for others around the world.  Hope that pain and abandonment can be overcome with love, joy and determination.  Hope that with the right support and guidance, any youth can overcome what life or their parents have thrown at them.  Hope that God has a bigger plan than what we can see in the moment.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Hope in the Desert

The purpose of today's post is to brag about an amazing young woman who I have watched blossom into a strong, beautiful, vibrant flower despite her dry, hopeless situation.  She is a symbol of hope and determination for mistreated youth everywhere.

I met Laura when she was 14, loud, rebellious, and searching for someone who would love her for exactly who she was.  After suffering abuses at home, Laura was placed in the foster care system and landed in my Algebra I class.  We clicked pretty immediately.  We bonded in this indescribable way that a teacher and her favorite trouble maker can't help.  You kind of just know that you were meant to be in each others' lives.  As a kid, Laura bounced from foster home to foster home, back and forth across county lines and on and off of different drugs.  Luckily, along the way, she found people who believed in her and knew that she was meant for more than the pain and loneliness she had learned to embrace.  At 17, Laura was adopted by a family who loved her and treated her as her own.  Later that year, we all watched her graduate from high school, with tears in our eyes! Laura's story only continues to bloom from there.  Now she is 22, a face of the National Foster Youth Institute, has shadowed congress members in the White House, is hosting a foster youth awareness event in LA later this month, and is, right this moment, in a job interview to work at one of the group homes that helped to change her life!!!

I am so indescribably proud of Laura!!  She has crossed rivers and broken boundaries that many people in her life never thought she could.  I hope that I was and will continue to be a constant reminder to her that she is loved, valued and looked up to!  As a teacher and a youth worker, my biggest hope to be a place of light and love for other children and teens as they find their place in the world!  I love you Laura and I am so proud of who you are and who you continue to become!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Busy Bee

The last couple weeks have been crazy! I've been subbing 4 days a week, meeting with potential donors, and I flew to Idaho to see my sister and my in laws.  The calm in the whole storm was rocking my sleeping, 2 month old, niece.  Andee Paige is so sweet and smiley and such a light of joy.  I didn't know it was possible to have so much love for such a little blob, but she captures my heart!

It is truly hard to stomach that I'm going to be gone for three years.  I'm going to miss Andee's first three birthdays, her first words and her first steps.  But I am looking forward to skyping with her and her parents, to sending her videos from South America, and to the day that she learns to call me "Tia Chelsea."  I love my little blob, Andee Paige!! I am so excited to spend as much time with her as I can, and then to be able to send a little part of Ecuador back to her!!