"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
- John 8:32
Although
parts of ourselves are hurt and broken, damaged or influenced, or
feel forgotten and buried, I believe that there is a gift beneath all
that. There is something waiting in anticipation to be discovered, the
true self who God created us to be. Often we start to believe the layers
of self doubt, failure and guilt that have built up around our true
identity, are the foundations of who we are. "We are nothing more than
our shortcomings". As we exit the season of advent and enter into
this New Year, let us remember the hope of Jesus manifesting in our
lives as he shows us where our true identity lies.
Simple Living
These past few months have been challenging. In being in a
new job, in a new city, with new people, I have been feeling a lot of
pressure to perform. I have been trying to live up to, and into, the
images that I have created of what I "should" being doing. When I fall
short of these standards, I often feel drained and disappointed in
myself.
As you may know, I have been working in a high school with students
who have emotional handicaps, or learning disabilities. With little
experience working in education, I have tried to base a lot the way I
approach students off of my colleagues, a lot of whom have been School
Officers at some point in their career. I however have not been a school
officer, and have never really been the authoritarian type. In fact,
trying to pretend that I am has left me trying to keep up a pace and
persona that I am just not compatible with.
For a lot of this past semester, I felt tired and inauthentic to my
self and my ideals of leadership. Once I began interacting with my
students in a way that was more like my true self, building
relationships became much easier. It seems that when we try to be, or do
something that is not authentic to who we are, our incapacity with it will
inevitably be destructive to our lives. I have been discovering an
incredible sense of freedom in allowing myself to accept that who I was
created to be is enough. It seems that God's work in me is most
contagious when people see that they are free to be themselves as well.
Hey
folks, I could use your help! As I try to live out this second year of
intentionally learning, living and loving any prayers or words or
encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I also have a financial need
of $4,610 dollars to help fund my full immersion into this way of life
that covers all of my living expenses for the year, including groceries,
public transportation, rent and more. I welcome your partnership this
year and invite you to consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor. I
am equally thankful for your ongoing spiritual and financial support. I
pray that God blesses you in all that you do this month and would
encourage you in the pursuit to love your neighbor as yourself!
REMEMBER!
This month is the Love Drive.
February 2nd- March 17th
We have two shirts as gifts for this drive. One is a long-sleeved, teal Love God. Love People. shirt ($70 donation) and the other is a gray short-sleeved ($55 donation) Love God. Love [Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, or Philly] shirt. People can pick one of our cities to have on their gray shirt and our four cities are the only options. Donors can also get both shirts for $100.
Special shout out to Dawson Vosburg, Yuki Burton and Crystal O'Connor this month, thank you guys!
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