The Love of God

I used to tell myself that I wasn't a preacher... 
In fact, I used to limit God and say that He could not use me to preach on stage. I thought that because the first few times I got up to speak didn't go so well. However, this last week I've been extremely convicted that I told God what I would and wouldn't do for Him, and he gave me multiple opportunities to share my testimony and a short teaching. I've never felt so confident on stage before, and I completely believe that the confidence came when I stopped relying on my ability and started relying on the Spirit of God. It's amazing what He can actually use us to do when we just stop trying to accomplish His plans in the flesh.

1 Corinthians 12:9
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 

I also used to tell myself that I 'didn't like' kids.
And then, well... You know what happened. I fell in love with them.

I seriously just wish I could express how deeply I love these children. It breaks my heart that they don't totally understand how much I love them. I want them to succeed, I want them to learn, I want them to have a real, thriving relationship with God some day. And by faith, I know that they will. Despite their circumstances or bad behavior, I commit myself to prayer for them. They are gems and they have so much future awaiting them, so many mistakes to make but even more potential and success to see.

Once again, I have to compare this love to God's. We cannot ever truly know the extent to which He loves us. We can never truly understand the amount of time Jesus spends interceding and fighting for us. Yet even though we can never really understand all these things, and thus never be fully appreciative of them, He continues to do them because His character is such that He's compelled to. 

Romans 8:34

"Who then condemns us? No one. Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us."

I hope you're encouraged by Jesus' love today. I hope you know and see how much He loves you. I know that sounds cliche, I know you've heard it a thousand times. But when you truly find His love, when you truly begin to understand it, nothing in life compares. 

Ephesians 3:17-19

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know His love, that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Hope to hear from all of you soon! 

God Bless, 

Karen

First Week in Trinidad

These children have changed my life. 

Already. And I've only been with them ONE WEEK. But somehow the Lord's put such a love for them in me. It doesn't matter how naughty they are, how misbehaved they act, or how rowdy they get, I still leave the school every day with a huge smile on my face, because let's be honest, it's hard to stay mad at anyone this cute. 

In a nutshell, I'm thrilled to be working at the kindergarten. 

I've also learned so much about God's love for me through them. People have always said how becoming a parent shows you God's heart, but I didn't really understand that statement until this week. I would love to say that these toddlers always do EXACTLY what they're told, WHEN they're told to do it, but that's not realistic. They act up on a daily basis, and somehow my opinion of them doesn't ever change. I don't think they could make me dislike them if they tried!

 As I start to realize this, I'm beginning to understand that that's exactly how God's love is for us. He calls us His children and says we're grafted into His family. That means that in the same way a mother or father loves their children, the Lord loves us. We act up all the time, and His opinion remains the same. He stays loving. He stays patient. He stays kind. Does that mean He never allows us to suffer the consequences of our actions? No. Those children who act up all the time do receive discipline. But the Teacher's heart remains the same, and it's filled to the brim with compassion. 

So this is just a glimpse of what I'm up to and what I'm learning here in Trinidad. I hope to hear from you all soon! 

Love, 

Karen