Life in the Fast Lane

2009 was literally the fastest year of my life to date. I don't think I've ever encountered so many life-changing events in one year. Here are just a few of them:

• I fell in love with Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I have loved Jesus for a very long time. However, I neglected to realize that He didn't just want a spoken commitment from me, He wanted to romance my heart. My relationship with God was one of reverent distance, rarely sprinkled with glimpses of Him until He ironically called me to fall more deeply in love with Him on Valentines Day. Isn't that sweet? Now, our relationship looks like an intimate friendship. I am learning what it is like to just spend time with Him, sans agenda. I am His Beloved and He is mine!

• I met some incredible people. The last part of 2008 was infused with so much loneliness for me. After graduating high school and starting college, I just felt so alone. It seemed like all my old friends had moved on, and I was too scared to make new ones. During 2009, I ventured out of myself a lot more and started going to a lot of Young Life events. I've met some amazing people there who totally get what life is supposed to be like. I'm so lucky to have an awesome small group and a great group of deep spirit friends. I am truly blessed with the blooming friendships in my life right now.

• I received calling and anointing from Holy Spirit. In April, a good friend of mine begged me to sign up for Project Timothy, which is a mission trip. During worship at orientation, I felt to surrendered to His will. I literally felt like I was on fire! Read Acts 2, if you want more details. He made me a carrier for His heart for social justice and poverty. I ended up going to Los Angeles, CA, where I saw God's love for the poor firsthand. His passion for me finally became my own. However, I sat on my calling for a few more months until He reached me again during worship. As the worship leader was singing about having God's heart, my hands heated up, and I saw myself throwing fire balls. It was entirely surreal and crazy, but it inspired me to start my own ministry called Louder Than Words, whose purpose is to train young people to live in Christ's footsteps and challenge the bonds of poverty and hunger on the world. My passion for student ministry also grew this year. I love those kids so much! I enjoy being a friend, big sister, and leader to them every Wednesday. I'm so convinced that ministry is my calling. And I'm ready to do anything to make that happen.

• I fasted from boys. God called me into a season of singleness this year, so I could fall more deeply in love with Him. Without the distraction of trying to find a date, God has used the time to refute so many of the lies that I had previously believed about myself. It also increased my capacity for ministry and building friendships. Letting myself fall in love with Jesus first is revolutionizing the way that I see relationships. He is preparing me for tons of ooey gooey love, and it's entirely exciting. I also took the opportunity to start writing in a journal for my future husband. My list of qualities that he will have is in there, as well as my prayers for him, and my dreams for our future. The fast is definitely not over yet, so I can't wait to see what God has for me in 2010!

• I owned 3 cars. I have no idea how I could possibly be so unlucky, but I had three accidents this year, two that totaled my car. Each accident was definitely laced by drama and frustration. However, I got to see God work through it every time. It was so reassuring to know that He was with me. I also learned to let go and trust Him. There were so many times where there was literally nothing more I could do, but God worked in the midst of the impossible. These accidents pushed me so far out of control of my life, that it became imperative for God to intervene and take the reins from me. Here's to no accidents next year.

• My heart became a garden. As a part of deepening my love for my savior, He has begun pulling weeds out everywhere in my life. During this year, I began to see that, in order for Him to heal me from some deep wounds in my heart, it was necessary for Him to pull weeds and break soil so that there would be room for new life. He is definitely making more room for something!

• I quit my job. In November, God told me to quit my job because He had something better in store for me. After over two years of dealing with stuck up moms, spoiled kids, and immature staff, I will be out of there in just a couple of weeks. I have Him at His word that He has a job for me that will support my call to ministry and my affinity for thrift stores, paying my bills, and hanging out with friends. I don't even know where I'll be working next, but Holy Spirit has definitely been whispering things to me about Starbucks. I'm in the process of applying to every Starbucks I know of, it's just a matter of finding the right one. It's like a treasure hunt.

My life is getting so exciting. I don't even know what to do with myself, but God does. Here's to 2010!