Fitting In
There's nothing like being with folks who remind you of the center pieces of you that God placed in you all those years ago. Throughout this month of May, I have been blessed with opportunities to connect with some tried and true loved ones. The food has been real good, the laughs have been real big, the joy has been immense, and the memories have been infinite. With every story, I have been reminded that I’ve been growing myself and becoming for a long time. We all have. If you're reading this, every piece of your story -- every flat tire, every three-point shot, every time you were ghosted, every missed exit, every stain, every page of that application, every prepared meal, every ache, every time you were denied something you deserved-- brought you right here and still here. You were divinely broken and pieced together to bring glory to this world. God meant for your life to BE, on purpose.
To be all of the parts of me, to be authentic in what I’m about and what my purpose is, no matter the circumstance – has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. I’m not alone. At some point or another, I know you’ve been trying to figure out what the plan is for your life here on earth, how everything is going to truly work out for your good. You’ve been trying to piece together your bills, your music with your full-time gig, this group of friends with your new partner, your kids’ after-school care because there’s yet another countywide Teacher Work Day. I am encouraged to share the Good News that through your story, the knowledge that God is real, lives. Your story, your soul has already been won, and all of your pieces are a part of that victory. That’s what Paul is talking about in Chapter 2 and 3 of 2 Corinthians.
“…BUT thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him…You show that you are the letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” – 2 Corinthians 14-17, 2 Corinthians 3: 1-3
Paul reminds us that we are the "fragrance of God" and “the letter from Christ” with the Spirit of God written on our hearts, a reminder that every story that involves YOU is an active, ever-present, in-public display of God's grace and mercy.
As you step into work and home and with family and friends this month, bring all of you in the room. Every time you step foot somewhere, all of you has to show up for the light to shine. You and everything that you have been through remind us all that God is still here, and He is still sovereign. We need the connector in you and the planner in you and the jokester in you and the leader in you and the builder in you and the lounger in you and the gamer in you and the lover in you. We need all of you, your whole story. You are the difference. In embracing all of you, you open your heart to all of the places God made in this world where only you fit.