I am so excited to share. These last two months have been such a redeeming time for my heart. Like I mentioned before, I have been working as a leader with the Mission Builders since I have been here. I will continue this until the end of June, and will then be joining staff on campus with what is called the "Leadership Track". (I will explain more on that later).
But what I am smiling to share about is how God has been so faithful to His promises in my life...during most of my time with ywam Maui, God brought me through a "winter season" with Him. I won't go into those things in detail, but out of His goodness and love He used my time as staff there to take me away from things in my life I continually tried to cover my brokenness and wounds with-which I didn't even know I had. Some of those things were interests/hobbies/friends/etc. that He allowed to be stripped from my life. These things weren't necessarily bad, just distracting me from God being able to touch my heart. Pushing God away from allowing Him to fill those areas of my heart-and in a way pushing His love away. So with such patience and gentleness, He allowed a stripping in my life that brought me to a place of brokenness and complete vulnerability before Him. This brought such healing as He continually touched areas of my heart that needed restoration-as He rooted out lies of what I believed about myself and wrong beliefs of who He was. These things could only be done through hard circumstances. At first, this challenged my belief with who He was, and I had questioned whether He was really good. I remember asking, "God, why are you allowing these things to happen when all I want to do is serve You? When I am giving my whole life to You? All I want is to be close to You." Yet, what I didn't see in the beginning is that He was answering my prayer of wanting to be close with Him. What I didn't realize is that He wanted that too-that He was taking away hindrances in my heart that kept me distant. WOW. WHAT A GOOD GOD. Even during times of doubt, He was faithful. With all that said, the last year I was able to see more and more of the big picture as He was healing me and drawing me close to His heart. And now I can say that I am so in love with my Jesus. It is not even about us! It is about HIM. Yet, out of His love He draws us close. And no matter what the circumstances may be in this life as I follow Him- whether good or bad -I will believe in His goodness. I will believe in the depths of His love for us. I will follow Him wherever He leads me.
These are things that He has been telling me as I go, and has been showing me the big picture now that I am coming out of the winter season. One of the promises He gave me before coming to ywam Kona was that "the longer the winter, the more beautiful the spring" and that He was going to bring me in to a beautiful season that would be a time of restored joy and a restoration of things that were stripped away. And I am starting to see this happen. I am so thankful that I am able to enter into a good season and also be intimate with Jesus...and not just close to Him in only the hard seasons. Lately, I have been continually overwhelmed by His love. And often during corporate times of worship I can't help but shed tears out of of thankfulness of what He has done in my life!!! I wish I could give everyone the joy and love for Jesus that I have found...that I have been given. He has given me freedom, rest, love, peace, and purpose that can only be found in Jesus.
There is so much I could share from the last couple of years :))) but will end with saying don't give up through the hard times. Persevere. Search for God's heart through it. Hold onto truth over feelings. Don't remove yourself from a hard circumstance just because it is hard; it may be just where God wants you to be to do a beautiful work in you. [Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6].
As I look back and see how His working was mostly inward, I have a feeling that this time as staffing in Kona will be preparing me for His plans that will be reaching outward. And I am ready :) A song that has been playing in my head all day goes [[catch me up in Your story, all my life for Your glory]]. Love it. Wraps it up well.
Thanks for reading. Hope this encouraged you in some way :)
~Violett
