In the closing of this latest season, I feel that I have had to step out in faith into new roles; waters that have been unexplored and uncharted until these present moments; the expanding and broadening of my faith, intimacy, and total effectiveness; a depth that God alone is leading me to. These "positions" that others have defined and characterized me with possessing have been, at the very least, stretches for me; positions and titles that I would have never fathomed to give myself, but, have been wonderful series of self discoveries and God given revelations. By quickly adopting these banners of "pastor, father, big brother, leader, peace bringer, etc" I have been able to hone in and be more purposeful in my interaction with others; meeting the needs well beyond those just at the water's surface. When you quickly marry these defining adjectives, courage and boldness soon follow; seeing the feasibility of the impossible growing as your faith takes on greater capacity; firsthand testimonies of God's marvelous power at work through you as you step out into the inconvenient and unfamiliar. God is quick to fill and encourage in these fresh moments of obedience and selflessness. What I had perceived could never have been outworked in me, has been unfolding magically before me; mindsets being eradicated and rebuilt.
...It is wild how starkly different the renderings can be of yourself; at the mercy of others and their steady brush strokes. Maybe, just maybe, it is healthy to know the three renderings; my own, my peers, and, MY GOD's.
