Work – Withhold Nothing

He Guides & Provides

“God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”
Rick Yancey

On my way to work this summer I would pass a church called South Olive. If you’re ever wondering, the sign shines very bright at 4:30 in the mornings. The sign says, “Where God Guides God provides.” Every time I passed it, I didn’t have any crazy profound feeling that ever came to me. I mean this sign isn’t anything new. For Christians, this is one out of many lines we’ve heard throughout our lives.

I heard a sermon once that said, sometimes we have to unlearn things in order to relearn them. It wasn’t until my last couple of weeks of work that I reflected on how this sign is exactly what I needed to hear in my life right now. I think God was trying to show me this sign because I needed to relearn it.

From first figuring out if missions was what I was supposed to do, to all the people He specifically placed along the way to make this opportunity possible, and to now He’s provided for everything that I need to leave in 8 days. All along He’s always been here guiding and providing for me.

Of course I still have moments where I don’t know if I can do this. I think I’m inadequate to do something this big but then I remind myself what Jesus did. He chose ordinary people to do extraordinary things in this world.

This past week ended up being tougher than I thought it was going to be. My heart was heavy and I experienced many different emotions that I never felt before. I am thankful though to start this new week with peace in my heart knowing that He’s got this.

Caili

Owning Your Worth

“Sometimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength. We walk away not because we want others to realize our worth and value, but because we finally realize our own.”
Robert Tew

Today was a bad day.

Work isn’t always fun, you get told to do a task you might not want to do, you go the extra mile in hopes of finally getting recognized but you don’t, your coworker or a stranger says something that hurts you. Work is hard, but work also teaches us SO many life lessons about ourselves and others. My job has taught me some hard realities as well as things about myself and others that I didn’t know before.

Now if you don’t know me, I am a big people pleaser. I’m someone who will put others’ needs before myself. I’m someone who wants to get along with everyone. I’m someone who prefers to stand in the background and avoid drama. The hardest thing to admit though is, I’m someone who doesn’t know how to recognize the value of my own worth. It takes courage to stand up for yourself. It takes courage to have your voice heard. It takes courage to believe in your worth.

As I’m reflecting on my day today, I don’t know if I can say today was a bad day. Rather, today was a day I grew up a bit more. Know how you want to be treated. Know that it’s okay to say you’re not okay, even when it’s hard. Know it’s okay to feel the hurt, but be willing to see how you can grow from it.

Know your own worth, because if you don’t recognize your value and worth, how will you ever recognize your worth as God sees you?

Caili

Space for Change

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen

These past several weeks I’ve gotten to know more about what it’s like to see from different perspectives. A coworker of mine and I have talked a couple of times about religion and what we believe. He doesn’t agree with everything I believe in, nor do I believe everything he believes in. But what is so much more important than any disparities we might have, is that we both share a common respect for each other.

I believe the world we live in today is full of people who are trying to change each other. People of different religions, political stances, or equality views and the list goes on. What breaks my heart is, it only takes some people one opinion to make them change how they treat the other person they contradict with. Sometimes I think people fear more about their opinion being maybe “wrong” than caring more about the other person.

We can’t change people, rather God is the one who does the changing. My coworker and I may not ever come to agree on what we both believe in. But that doesn’t disqualify me from treating him any differently than I would with someone who has the same views as me. Every time I go to work all I can do is show my love and kindness to him. There’s nothing more I can do. I believe when we offer the space for change to take place, we are allowing God to intercede and allowing His work to take place.

If we aren’t setting each other’s differences aside, how can we extend the space needed for change to happen?

Caili

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” ― John 4:12