i've lived a lifetime in the past month

The events of the past month, looking back on them, seem to have taken so much longer than just a month. I have grown and changed and lived so much in the past month. My most recent excursion and life-changing experience has been my trip to Greece. I cannot begin to describe everything wonderful that happened on that trip. God blessed me so much.

There were a bunch of little things that I always think of as kind of inside jokes between me and God. I love how I can have inside jokes with the God of the universe. For example, for my entire sojourn in the land of Europe, God had been teaching me about love in many different forms. And I was memorizing 1 Corinthians 13. So then on Sunday, when Dr. Reid got up and started to teach, he asked us to turn to 1 Corinthians 13. I definitely had a silent laugh with God over that because I know it's not a coincidence that love was the theme.

Then originally I was on a certain team, but I felt really strongly that I should ask to switch. As in, God would not leave me alone until I asked. I normally wouldn't ask to switch because I've had several different youth pastors tell me how much they hate it when people ask to be switched and how they wish people could just stay where they're put. So generally I try to just go with the flow. But I felt so pushed to switch that I actually asked. And I switched. And it was the best thing I ever could have done. I was so blessed by every member of my team. Sarah, Haley, Hannah, Sabrina, Dr. Reid, James, Nikki, Brandon, Ryan...every one of them was used by God to impact my life in a different way. And the work we did was something that deeply impacted a community and enabled us to show God's love in a very tangible way.

Oh, and I just happened to have the best roommates ever! We were a random bunch, and there were four of us in a room when most people had two or three to a room. But we got along so well, laughed a lot and were really able to encourage one another in our faith. And the one person I got to know really well that week was beautiful Sabrina. She made me laugh from the moment I woke up in the morning - really, she would start singing before she even opened her eyes and dance on the bed to wake herself up - but then also would say things that would ring in my head long after she'd said them. Some of them I'm still thinking about even now. She has wisdom that she isn't afraid to impart to others, and I'm so grateful I happened to be the one God chose for her to share some with. She is a friend who I really look up to and always thank God for.

So yesterday I was thinking about how many friends I have who have taught me different things. Grace has taught me about unchanging love over long distances and time and changes, and about doing unconventional things for God. Leah has taught me about strength and taking risks for God. Sabrina has taught me about deep, giving love for others and having passion for God and for those who don't know him. Hannah has taught me about not being judgmental and having love for those who are not perfect. Lindsay has taught me about loyalty and staying deeply committed to your beliefs and those you love. And those are just a few friends, and those things are just a few of the ones they've taught me through their lives. I really want to be like these friends in that my friendship with someone is not just a feel-good friendship. I want to be, I guess, a little bit of a tangible version of Christ to them. That God would use me and my life to encourage them and to even teach them something. Just to be able to do something like that would be incredible to me.

One last thing. Monday night I went to a Bible study for the students (ages 14-18, I think) of the church I'm attending here in Cambridge. And the teacher taught on Joseph and his brothers and how Joseph not only forgave his brothers for what they had done to him - completely - but also showed them incredible grace in giving them not just any land in Egypt but the best part, the land of Goshen. And I thought of how I've had people who in the past have done terrible things to me, and it took so much for me to forgive them though to this day they've never apologized. But I have, I've forgiven them and forgotten because I have Christ and I don't need to hold on to anger against them. So I prayed and I asked God that in some way he would allow me to show incredible grace to these former friends of mine just like Joseph showed to his brothers and God himself showed to me. It's kind of a weird prayer, I guess, but it's something I really felt that God wanted for me to do. So we'll see what he does with that. :)