Where You Seek, There You Find

Have you ever looked for God? ...yes
Have you ever asked God the question, "Where are you?"...yes
I found myself asking this very question this morning. Now let me sort this out for you, there are a couple ways to ask this question. It can be asked with the spirit of despair where your soul is crying out "Where are you God? Everything is going wrong and I don't see you anywhere!" or it can be asked with the spirit of "God, where are you? I know you're here, but where would you have me see you? Through what are you revealing yourself to me?"
See the difference?
This morning I was asking the latter of the two. See, back home I knew where I saw God. I saw him in trees and in my family. I saw his love every time a butterfly would pass me. But being in a whole new place I found myself searching for a place to see God on a regular basis. I was searching for a way to see his love revealed to me through something specific to me. I'm not sure if you're following this or not...but stay with me. I would look out at the ocean out my window and think "Is this what you want to use for the next 18 months to remind me of your presence and love?" I would hear no reply. Then I would look into the faces of the children here and ask the same question. No reply. I began to get frustrated saying "I'm in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Where are you God?!"
It wasn't until this morning that I sat down and sincerely spoke with God about the matter. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Where are you God? I know you're here and I'm not doubting your existence, but where are you? Where would you have me find you?
God: Where you seek me.
Me: Really? Is that your answer?
God: Yes.
Me: Why not in like the ocean, or a bird, or even children? Why not something specific and obvious like that?
God: I am there.
Me: But you said where I seek you.
God: You seek me in those places.
Me: Yes.
God: I am there.

and that was it. God has a way of keeping it short and simple yet so full of wisdom.
After this little conversation I felt more at peace about the situation. I was wanting an answer from him that required little effort on my part. Something like, "every time you see a bird, think of me and remember my love." But that's not what God said. He said, seek me and you will find me. hmm sounds familiar yeah?

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

So I'm left to seek. Where? Anywhere. Everywhere. He will be there.

Love Never Lasts...Lies!!

What are your thoughts on love? I mean seriously. I'm not talking about like romance or anything like cheesy...i'm talking about true love. I don't know about everyone else, but a lie that I've told myself for a long time is that love never lasts. Where do I get this idea from? Well the same place everyone who has ever been heart broken before gets it from. The way the world treats love is as if its a passing thing. More like a phase or a hobby than a part of life. From the moment we are born we start to create an idea of what love is in our own minds. Over the span of our lives we add to and mold what our idea of love is. After you have been through a series of events in your life: being picked last in grade school, not winning the spelling bee, not having a boyfriend/girlfriend until years after all your friends had, parents getting a divorce, going through countless breakups, watching tv shows about one night stands and summer flings, always listening to what the media tells you about how you should look and never meeting its standards...it doesn't take long for your idea of love to be completely distorted from what God meant for it to be. Since when did we listen to God about everything else in the Bible and believing everything he says other than all those countless verses about love? Oh sure we know about God's love intellectually, but do we know the truth of it down deep in our inmost being? I can answer this one...no. If we truly believed to the core what God tells us...promises us about love, we would never once doubt love in our lives. We would understand what love really is. Not the world's poor excuse for love, but God's perfect, holy, unconditional love.
So what are some things He has told us about love and His love for us?
Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we may be called children of God!"
Romans 5:5 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
and possibly the most love-packed verse in the whole Bible...John 3:16 "For God SO LOVED the world that he sent his one and only son to die, so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life."
I could go on and on.
I think it's about time we start BELIEVING what God tells us about love. Stop listening to what the world tells you about love. Stop listening to what you have told yourself about love. Start listening to what God tells you about love...he is love after all.

Hey everyone! So I've been here in South Africa for almost 3 weeks now. It has been an adventure already! Living in America you don't get to see what the rest of the world is REALLY like. Hollywood distorts our view of different cultures and countries. You can't understand fully unless you go to that place and experience it for yourself. Most people, when they think of Africa, they think of The Lion King, or just uncivilized tribal people who are dirt poor. But if you spend more than a day here you will know that thats not at all what Africa is like. True, there are lions and monkeys and giraffes and zebras, but they don't just roam the streets. Most of them are protected in wildlife parks. True, there are a lot of different tribes out in the rural parts of Africa, but they are anything but uncivilized. At times I feel like they have a better grasp on life than I do. And true, Africa is an impoverished country, but they don't see themselves as poor. In many ways they are more blessed than any American I know. They understand the true value of life, even if they don't understand the One who has given them life. But that's what I'm here to do, to tell them about the Creator they already have seen so much of. The people of Africa are loving, vibrant, and so hard working. I have learned so much already just from living in their midst.

In the city where we are living, Port Elizabeth, life is much like life in any other big city in the States. The only difference is people run around barefoot often, they drive on the left side of the road, and almost everyone is bilingual. The ministries that we are involved in on a weekly basis take place in the city. We do things like taking food to the curio vendors, watching kids at the AIDs Haven, serving elderly people at the soup kitchen, and working with the youth at the church. Everywhere you look there is an opportunity to serve. All you need is a willing heart and trust in God.

The next 17 months are sure to hold adventure enough to last a lifetime. God has already shown me so much here and has made me see that I have so much growing to do. I can't wait to see where God takes me in South Africa. Wherever it is I know its going to be amazing.