October 2018 Articles

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A Life of Abundance

A Life of Abundance It’s hard to believe that this time a month ago I was standing on Zambian soil with the kindest humans I’ve ever met. Though my time there was brief, it left a significant impact on my life that I will never forget and always cherish. Throughout the trip and even more so since being home again, God has taught me so many beautiful yet hard things concerning simplicity, abundance, stillness, prioritizing and purpose. The first thing I think of when reflecting on the people and the culture of Zambia is the simplicity of it all. They focus on the moment they’re in and the people that surround them. In a place that lacks physically and materialistically compared to America, there is an abundance of love, light, joy, and peace. John 10:10 has been my verse this summer, and it became even more important to me on this trip. It says, “the devil came to steal and kill and destroy but I (Jesus) have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly.” These people have it figured out. An abundant life isn’t a life of money, material things, and climbing the career ladder until you make it to the top. It’s not about having name brand clothes, the newest iPhone, or being the most popular person in the room. An abundant life is a life lived pursuing Jesus which means pursuing love, joy, peace, and all of the other fruits mentioned in the book of Galatians. All of those material things mean nothing. Those things can’t add anything to our lives only Jesus can do that, only Jesus can bring abundance. Something that’s not really talked about is life after a mission trip. It’s hard. It hurts having to say goodbye to 24 children I spent 12 days building relationships with. It’s not easy being back in a fast paced lifestyle where everyone rushes around and has their priorities all wrong. I miss the stillness of it all. I miss how everything slowed down when I was there. At first, I didn’t believe life here could be anything like what I had experienced overseas. I didn’t think it was possible to have simple yet still significant moments anymore, but the truth is that those moments are everywhere. I just had to learn how to recognize them. God is everywhere. Psalm 46:10 says, “be still and know that I am God.” It’s impossible to experience God when we don’t take the time to. But when we take the time to slow down and focus on what really matters, we can truly experience all that He is. The most important thing I learned on this trip though has to do with purpose. I’ve always struggled with finding purpose and believing I had it to begin with. What God really showed me was the importance of people and relationships. In a place where they have nothing but each other, I realized how nothing else really matters. People matter. In its simplest form, our purpose as Christians is to love God and to love people. In John 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Of course, Peter says yes. Jesus then tells him if he does in fact love him to feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep. That’s it. We are called to know and love God then go share his love with others. I’ve had to reexamine everything I once thought mattered because in the grand scheme of things only God, people, and eternity matter. Let’s start having an eternity mindset. Katy Ezell