Update Summer 2016!

Hi Friends!

So I haven't posted an update in a while so I just wanted to let everyone know where I am and what I'm doing. :)

Part of the IGNITE program is normally to serve at the church that sent you for 2 months. At the time, I was unable to return to my church and instead stayed to serve with Potter's Field in Montana. The Lord has now opened up the door for me to go back and serve at Calvary Chapel Perris Valley, my home church this summer for the months of June and July. I am so grateful for this opportunity to go back and fulfill my previous commitment but also just to be able to serve with all my heart at the church that so supported me in IGNITE. At the end of July, I also get to go back to Japan with CCPV and I am so excited!

I am excited for what the Lord has in store for this summer and lessons and continued steps of healing that He has for me to walk in. God is such a good, good Father and I'm blessed to be able to walk in His will.

Please be praying for me as I return to serve that I would serve in truth and with my whole heart and that I would be a joyful and selfless servant. Thank you so much for your prayers as I continue to walk in the will of my Heavenly Father.

By His Grace,

MaKayla

Here is the Link to my GoFundMe page for the missions trip to Japan. Thank you in advance for any financial support that you are able to give!
https://www.gofundme.com/makaylajapan

Trying to Grasp a Perfect Love - John 15:9

John 15:9 says,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

I never actually realized it until this week, but when I think of God, I project a human image onto Him that isn't biblical. I picture someone who rolls their eyes and sighs when I confess that I have sinned, yet again. “Okay, MaKayla, I forgive you again but this is really getting old...” I picture Him getting tired of my mistakes. I think that humanly, this is an image that I can understand. Most people can only forgive so much before they just get sick of the other person's mess ups. But, oh how wrong it is for me to think that is how my Savior responds to me.

I don't have the right picture of who God is because I don't fully understand His love for me. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” The Father loves the Son with a perfect love. We are loved with that same perfect love. That blows my mind. It is so hard for me to grasp a perfect love and to understand that that is what I receive. I am broken and messy and, at times, I have fallen so far away from God. There's no way that I deserve a perfect love. But that's the point. That's grace. I don't deserve this love but He pours it out on me anyway. I can't earn it and I can't mess up so badly that I would no longer be able to receive it. This love is too much for our human minds to even comprehend.

 Since last weekend, I have been overwhelmed with the reminder and realization of how loved I am. I haven't disappointed Him. I could never be too far that His love can't reach me.

I serve a Wonderful God that doesn't get sick of me.

Finding Where I'm Meant to Be - Jeremiah 13:11

Jeremiah 13:11 says, 

"For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’"

I have spent most of my life searching for my place. Where do I belong? Where do I fit? This journey to find my place has gotten me into a lot of trouble at times. And even when I felt the Lord telling me where I belong, which is close to Him, I ignored it because that wasn't where I wanted to be. That wouldn't give me popularity or tons of friends. So I ran away. I ran fast and hard from where I knew I was supposed to be.

In this passage, God is talking to Jeremiah and He has him do a little experiment as a visual for a lesson He was trying to teach Israel. God tells Jeremiah to put a sash around his waist and then later He tells him to put the sash in a rock by the water. When Jeremiah picks up the sash again, he sees that it is ruined and worthless, profitable for nothing.

This hit me so hard. All my life I have been wanting to know where I belong and here it is. I have been designed to cling to my Lord and Savior. When I stay where I belong, I have a purpose and place. But when I run from Him, I end up where I wasn't designed to be. I end up in the muck and become ruined, losing my purpose. God has called us to be His people. He has designed us to cling to Him but when we choose to stop listening to Him, we end up where we don't belong. 

I am so thankful that I have finally found my place. After years of running and searching, I have realized that apart from God, I can do nothing(John 15:5). My desire is to never leave this place again. Something that encourages me is that God wants me to cling to Him. That's the purpose that He has given me. 

We are called to cling.