What I Learned

So the main question I keep getting asked when I talk to people about my summer in East Asia is "What did you learn?"
That's a hard question to answer because I learned so much.
But what I keep coming back to and the first thing I always tell people is Lamentations 3:21-26

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

Great is your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"therefore I will hope in him."

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him."

What did this teach me?

Well, let me just tell you.

1. I learned a lot about waiting on the Lord. I have only once before so vividly and clearly had Father pull me out of a pit as I did this summer, and that is when I chose to follow Him. It was incredible to me how if I do actually wait on Him instead of running to people or my own conclusions, He will pull me out. "The Lord is good to those who wait for him."

2. So then I wondered why I don't typically do that, and I realized that I place this expectation on Him that He is going to get tired of helping me. I don't want to bother Him. Guess what He told me then? "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases."

3. My friend and I talked about that I cling to tight to relationships for fear of being hurt. I realized that my worth is not found in Christ, and that it needs to be. I need to know that He is all I need, and the rest is just "icing on the cake." "The Lord is my portion," says my soul "therefore I will hope in him."

4. At many different points throughout the trip, I was completely broken for my friends, and crying out to God in desperation. Then there were times I was frustrated because I felt like He should have revealed Himself to them already. He reminded me of Romans 9:15-18, that His timing is perfect and I can't expect it to just happen all at once (that's not how it happened with me), and that "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning."

5. And multiple times, in multiple ways, He reminded me of His constant faithfulness to me, my team, my friends, and that city. "Great is your faithfuless."

My Daddy, through this passage, has taught me more than that this summer and I'm sure He will continue to teach me more through this passage, but it has been such a sweet promise for me that I wanted to share it with all of you.

What has Daddy taught you so far this summer?

Can't wait to hear all about it.

You are loved.

Categories: