Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Two Words

I recently spent a week out of town. One of my high school friends got married, and I went to help with the wedding, and be a bridesmaid.

I spent a lot of time pondering. Because that's what I do in airports and on airplanes. I ponder life. I ponder people. I ponder myself.

I spent 10 days in an unfamiliar city, with people I had just met, and may never see again. I had nothing and no one familiar around.

If you know me, you know I'll talk to just about anyone, anywhere, about anything. I love people. I love to talk.

Two words kept rising to the top of any conversation. Whether I was standing in line for coffee, waiting for a plane, doing wedding crafts, meeting the bride's family, wherever I was, my conversation included these two words.

I never thought much about it before. Back home, I talk about these two words daily. Almost everyone I converse with has heard me talk about these two words. I do it so regularly and with people so familiar, it never caused me to stop and ponder.

But, delayed planes really make me ponder.

Every single day I was gone, I shared these two words with complete strangers. Every day for the past few months of my life, back home I talk about these two words. I can't go a day without saying these two words.

Jesus.

Bolivia.

Sitting on the plane I began to think, what was so special about these two words that 24 hours couldn't go by without me uttering them to anyone?

Then it hit me. They both changed my life. Completely changed. They both give me purpose in my life.

I am literally not the girl I was before.

I just want to be like Jesus. I want to love people.

I want to be able to look back over the past years and without doubt know that He has transformed me, and is continuing to do so. I want to point others to Jesus. I want to know His love, compassion, patience, peace, faithfulness, favor, joy, and goodness. I want them to be my life's song. I want bitterness, gossip, lust, vanity, and sarcasm to fall off me as I cling to Him and to His word. I want to be not important, and for Jesus to be everything.

Ah, Bolivia. 2 months, and I was in love.

I left part of my heart there. Bolivia may not be where I end up, but its where this girl experienced God is such an overwhelming and real way. It is where I fell in love with the least of these. It is where my purpose really took root and passion and dreams started to grow. It was my first huge solo adventure. It was where I decided wherever He sends me, I'll go.

How can I not go a day without saying those two words? When something seriously changes your life, you want to tell everyone.

So thank you. You listen when I ramble. You encourage me. You believe in me. You are patient when I share my dreams again and again and again and again. Thank you.

M.

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