eight months

I honestly can’t believe that the end of month 8 on the race is here! And the fact that there is less than 3 months left before coming home blows my mind even more. 

The past 8 months have been life changing. They have been more than I can put into words on a paper or type on a note. More than I expected. More than I imagined. By no means have these past 8 months been easy/breezy. That’s definitely one of the faults in social media – it’s easy for me to post the highlights of the race and make it seem like the best year of my life because of all of the good moments that have happened (and trust me, there’s a lot of those!!). But it’s a lot harder to talk about the difficult moments. The times where I just wanted the immediate comforts of home and everything that comes with it. The times where I didn’t like where I was at or I wasn’t thankful for what I was doing. The times where who I thought I was in my mind and who I actually was were two separate people. The time I realized that reality and wanted to immediately change it but couldn’t because growth takes time (yeah, that was a hard time). The times where it seemed too hard. 

Seemed. 

 To my fleshly nature it was too hard! But God reminded and reminds me over and over again that He is the one who fights on my behalf and He is the one who walks with me through all seasons, giving me the strength that I need to keep going. On my own I would never make it. It’s the Lord who sustains me and the community/support system He has given me that encourages me in the valley’s and cheers me on on the mountaintops. (Also, mountaintop experiences are great but it’s been in the valleys of this year that I’ve experienced the Lords presence more in my life than ever before). The Lord reminded me that when my circumstances seem too hard, instead of praying for Him to end them or to make them easier, to pray for His strength to help me through. And not only to get me through but to experience the fullness of what He is using the hard seasons for. It’s usually in the “desert” seasons of life that my idea of who God is and His character is refined. That lies I’ve believed about him are removed and He speaks new truth into me about who He really is. God is way bigger than the box I sometimes put him in. I don’t always understand it, but that is when my faith and trust in Him is stretched and grown. 

Just writing this reminds me of the good in the desert seasons: new perspective and truth on who God is, faith given and trust grown! How true that He promises to turn every season into good. 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

The Lord is faithful in all of His promises. He has actually used every moment in the past 8 months and my life to benefit me in someway and to be used for His glory. Sometimes that’s hard to believe, especially when I don’t see it – but again, it’s in those moments that faith is given and my trust is grown. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

I’m only $500 away from being fully funded for the last 3 months of the race! I would love if you would consider partnering with the Lord with what He has in store for me for the rest of my time on the field!! 

I’m excited and expectant for what the next 3 months will look like (And not only the next 3 months but actually what the rest of life will look like walking with the Lord!!

MK