I realize that my blog has been silent for while now and I'm ready to break it. God has been at work in me in ways I can't begin to understand. I have applied for permanent residency in New Zealand and I continue to be affirmed by God's Word that this is following the direction God would have for me. I still don't entirely know why God has me here, though I can't imagine another place I'd rather be.
I miss my family and close friends in the States immensely, however, the desire to be obedient to God and live out the love I have for Him keeps me here, amidst an amazing body of Christ and friends who encourage, challenge and support me as well as people and a community who need to know who Christ is and fullness of life that can only come through Him.
Recently, God has been speaking and guiding me through His word by using Scriptures that speak to the heart of my fears, questions, and wounds. Most notably, Jeremiah 18:1-12. Jeremiah goes down to the potter's house where the Lord speaks to him and compares Israel to clay in the potter's hands. First, God used this Scripture to speak as a warning that I needed to get all my residency papers in on time and that I was to be obedient or God would start over...this was enough to make me get these papers sent in the next day. After which (the next day) God brought Is. 6:1-6 to my attention through a study that I am doing at the moment, these are the verses God used to affirm my call in the two years leading up to this journey to NZ. I felt amazed, blessed and humbled that God would speak so clearly to my heart.
Again, God brought me to Jeremiah 18:1-12, and this time not as a warning, but to teach me about the journey that I've been on for the past two years, but more specifically the past six months. God has shown me that He has been at work molding me...taking out the pieces of stone that mar the clay..places of resentment in my heart, carefully removing sticks...areas of hurt and rejection, rubbing out the dirt...areas of sin and blindness. All this so the that I am able to be molded into someone who loves Him with all her heart, all her soul, and all her strength.
I don't yet know what kind of vessel God is making me into, but I know that it is one to be used for His glory. I am at peace with that. Because I know that I am in His hands, I know that wherever I am, He is with me, molding, shaping, and forming a work that He will continue to use how and when He sees fit.
