Monthly Letter # 6 - For the Glory of His Name
As I think back over the last 3 months and how my monthly letters have become 6 letters I can't help but be amazed by our sovereign creator. Despite what our plans may be His plans always prevail and in increasing measure I see and experience the greatness of His love, mercy and grace. Halifax was an amazing experience because it was first thought of and planned by an amazing God.
Despite the incredible challenges of having gone to Halifax I reflect on my theme verse for the summer: Habakkuk 1:5,
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
I do not think that I would have believed it if I had been told what was going to happen this summer. I learned and was challenged much more than I expected.
Searching for a job reaffirmed my need to trust in the Lord. I did not expect to learn as much as I did from my work place. I found it very stretching since I was working on the floor in a retail store and had to assist customers in finding what they wanted. I prefer standing behind the cash in a much more introverted way. During busy times I would have several customers asking something from me all at once and I would need to be sensitive to competing demands. During slow periods I would need to restock the shelves while paying attention to any customers that were in the store, making sure that I would not ignore them.
God has been showing me how much better His plans are then mine. Before I came to Halifax I prayed that I would find a job doing something new and interesting. God answered unexpectedly. I learned how to talk to people and help them find something when they may not realize what it is they are looking for. God has taught me to be sensitive to the desire that people have and to ask different questions in order to increase my ability to help customers. Though I did not expect to learn very much from working in a retail environment (very similar to the bookstore that I worked in for 2 1/2 year, but still quite different), I learned much more than I expected.
I have seen the large impact that our prayers have had on everything that happened during the summer. We were faithful to pray for the various events we were planning as well as the concerns of members from our group. One member from the group reported that his uncle had been healed from a severe condition after we had prayed for him. I continue to be amazed by how God faithfully answers prayers in unexpected ways. He is powerful and worthy to be praised.
My leadership role on the DRIME team was a great blessing and a huge challenge. I found myself lacking in patience as members of the team were slow to respond in starting practices. I saw how the way that I spoke to the team effected the way that they responded to me. I learned to speak with more gentleness instead of being constantly demanding. Even though I still have more to learn in this area I learned a lot from helping lead the team.
There are many other things that I learned while I was in Halifax. Some other things that I learned were:
Little things can have a big impact - Even though I think an action of mine may be small and insignificant it may be very meaningful to someone else.
Conflict and tension can develop quickly - Adjusting to being in a large group of people you don't know is bound to result in conflict. It is easy to hurt others when you are not aware of what you are doing to hurt them. It is important to respond with the right attitude in all situations and to ask for God's help when you are unsure of how to respond or how others will respond to you.
God's Perfect Timing - Waiting for God to answer prayers can seem pointless at times. I am constantly amazed by the creative ways that God chooses to answer my prayers. I have learned to recognize how God places small steps on the road to answering my prayers. I have seen God working out answers to things that I have been praying about for years or that I have not prayed for in a long time. God is faithfully working things out for my prayers even when I am forgetting to be faithful in continued prayer.
Our loving God continues to teach us and help us grow despite what we may expect. I am in awe of our great creator. His plans are perfect and His ways are higher than our ways. If only we knew how to live according to His ways more completely our lives would be so much different.
In continued search for His glory,
Liz
Despite the incredible challenges of having gone to Halifax I reflect on my theme verse for the summer: Habakkuk 1:5,
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
I do not think that I would have believed it if I had been told what was going to happen this summer. I learned and was challenged much more than I expected.
Searching for a job reaffirmed my need to trust in the Lord. I did not expect to learn as much as I did from my work place. I found it very stretching since I was working on the floor in a retail store and had to assist customers in finding what they wanted. I prefer standing behind the cash in a much more introverted way. During busy times I would have several customers asking something from me all at once and I would need to be sensitive to competing demands. During slow periods I would need to restock the shelves while paying attention to any customers that were in the store, making sure that I would not ignore them.
God has been showing me how much better His plans are then mine. Before I came to Halifax I prayed that I would find a job doing something new and interesting. God answered unexpectedly. I learned how to talk to people and help them find something when they may not realize what it is they are looking for. God has taught me to be sensitive to the desire that people have and to ask different questions in order to increase my ability to help customers. Though I did not expect to learn very much from working in a retail environment (very similar to the bookstore that I worked in for 2 1/2 year, but still quite different), I learned much more than I expected.
I have seen the large impact that our prayers have had on everything that happened during the summer. We were faithful to pray for the various events we were planning as well as the concerns of members from our group. One member from the group reported that his uncle had been healed from a severe condition after we had prayed for him. I continue to be amazed by how God faithfully answers prayers in unexpected ways. He is powerful and worthy to be praised.
My leadership role on the DRIME team was a great blessing and a huge challenge. I found myself lacking in patience as members of the team were slow to respond in starting practices. I saw how the way that I spoke to the team effected the way that they responded to me. I learned to speak with more gentleness instead of being constantly demanding. Even though I still have more to learn in this area I learned a lot from helping lead the team.
There are many other things that I learned while I was in Halifax. Some other things that I learned were:
Little things can have a big impact - Even though I think an action of mine may be small and insignificant it may be very meaningful to someone else.
Conflict and tension can develop quickly - Adjusting to being in a large group of people you don't know is bound to result in conflict. It is easy to hurt others when you are not aware of what you are doing to hurt them. It is important to respond with the right attitude in all situations and to ask for God's help when you are unsure of how to respond or how others will respond to you.
God's Perfect Timing - Waiting for God to answer prayers can seem pointless at times. I am constantly amazed by the creative ways that God chooses to answer my prayers. I have learned to recognize how God places small steps on the road to answering my prayers. I have seen God working out answers to things that I have been praying about for years or that I have not prayed for in a long time. God is faithfully working things out for my prayers even when I am forgetting to be faithful in continued prayer.
Our loving God continues to teach us and help us grow despite what we may expect. I am in awe of our great creator. His plans are perfect and His ways are higher than our ways. If only we knew how to live according to His ways more completely our lives would be so much different.
In continued search for His glory,
Liz
posted by L @ 11:32 AM
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