Pictures can speak a thousand words and I know some of mine do. My life in no way is put together. I struggle with things just like everyone else and the devil stirs up storms in my life to scare me and to shake my faith. There are points in my life when I let him tear me down. Through anxiety, stress, tiredness, and perfection, the devil works at my insecurities and try’s to create serious doubts in my head. I think of these moments as a house on the beach build directly on sand. The stressors or doubts the devil throws at me disrupts my sense contentment because my life is built on something that allows it to move. Then I experience others moments in my life when my faith is at its strongest point and there’s nothing the devil could do to shake that. I like to think of those times as a house on the beach built upon stilts. The devil can try and create storms in my life to knock me down, but my foundation is strong and immovable. The water can’t get to the house built on stilts. The lord is my support, He is my foundation. My personal belief is that Christians faith walks look a like a mix of these moments. Times of being built upon sand and times of being build on stilts or rock, as scripture points out. We aren’t perfect and sometimes the devil will try and wash us out. Matthew 7: 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” I’m sure you’re wondering at this point what this has to do with pictures, so let me explain. In less than a week, I will be traveling to Belize for a mission trip with an amazing group of people. I had the pleasure of attending last year and getting to love on the kids and families there. As most people do while on a trip, I took tons of pictures (5,000 to be exact!!). These pictures captured the moments the kids captured my heart and I get to cherish them for the rest of my life. I love looking through my phone at the kids smiling faces, reflecting Gods love and on the toughest of days, they’ve gotten me through. As I prepare for another 10 days of mission work in the wonderful country, my heart is anxious. The devil is certainly trying to work on my heart and love doubts and distractions in my head to keep me from sharing God’s love. So as I always do, I sat down and scrolled through my phone. My eyes became filled with tears watching videos and looking through pictures of the kids living their lives now that they know the Lord and my heart became full. Pictures can truly speak a thousand words and I’m so thankful I have these to look through when my mind becomes filled with doubts. I noticed something different when I went through my pictures. I looked at the pictures I took before I left for Belize and the photos i took when I arrived home and the difference is bigger than I could have imagined. I saw first hand how the lord worked through me in Belize, through conversations and new friendships, but never through my life when coming home. I’ve always been a pretty laid back person, with an optimistic spirit and happy look on life, but my life didn’t reflect that. The pictures i have before July 13, 2017 reflect a life of settling, fake smiles, and selfishness. I took pictures of superficial things and mainly, pictures of my self. After July 13, my camera roll is filled with moments of meals spent with friends and smiles so big my cheeks hurt for hours afterward. I spend more time focusing on the things the lord has given to me and not the things the devil has tried to take away. My life is more meaningful and I’m happy. I have unhappy moments, I get hungry, but Im a more genuine human because of the love the lord has poured into me through others. Mine was by children in Belize, yours could be someone you meet at the grocery store. Keep your eyes open, eyes listening and mind focused because the lord is always working. You are the lords work of art and you speak a thousand words. Hi friends!! It's been a long while since my last post, but i think the lord was preparing me to write this one. I am so humbled to be leaving for Belize this week and to love and be loved by so many. I hope you all enjoyed this entry and I can't wait to share my experiences with you soon. With much love, Sydney Please keep my team and I in your prayers as we are preparing mentally and emotionally for this trip!
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