M-A-Y (Moving Away from York)

Well May took off to a great start and everything was beautifully coming into spring! We had enjoyed some fabulous weather at the end of April but unfortunately this didn't carry much into May :(
The semester ended on 14 May so before that my days were pretty much filled with oragnising things and getting ready for the end for semester. My flatmates and I had some really good times! A chocolate fountain night and of course all the nights of laughter and private jokes and quotes. I miss those girls!
After spending a whole day cleaning, we had graduation that evening. It was a wonderful evening and I'm so proud of all the graduates! I kept thinking how wonderful it was that they were at my graduation and now I was at theirs! Spring 2010 semester has definitely been my favourite one so far which is weird because it started out the hardest and the heaviest but as always the LORD brings beauty in brokenness.

This semester the Lord taught me a lot about "maturity." And we were going through the book of Ephesians in morning devotions and the theme for the semester was "being filled with His fullness." And what the Lord put on my heart to share was based off of Ephesians 4:11-16 with the emphasis on 4:14-15,

"...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--..."

God desires maturity in my life. He desires maturity in all aspects of my life. ("...may grow up in ALL things..."). It's not only God's desire for us but His goal for us too. Colossians 1:28b says,

"...that we may present every man perfect [mature] in Christ Jesus."

So God desires maturity in all things? In my behaviour, my walk with Him, my thinking, my serving, my character, my personality, my emotions, my relationships & friendships... in ALL things.

During the time leading up to my birthday I was struck by some very immature pockets in my life; pockets which I'd hidden away and not dealt with. I guess a part of me thought that as I grew older the immaturity would magically go away but it didn't. And sometimes we can get into the trap of thinking that our childish ways will just fade away the older we get but this is not the case. "Maturity doesn't come with age, it comes with the acceptance of responsibility.

1 Corinthians 13:11 says,

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

So Paul clearly tell us that these childish things need to be "put away;" done away with; completely set aside never to be seen again. I love that God shows us our condition, convicts us and then He shows us the destination and gives us the means to get there.

So basically it's been a semester of me learning what it means to grow up in the Lord and in life. Discipling girls has helped me see the importance of growth in our walk with God. Sanders says that it is not the purpose of God for our lives to be static... 2 Corinthians 3:18b says, "...are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." This verse shows that our transformation into being more like Christ is a progressive experience (Sanders, Spiritual Maturity)

God desires us all to go from glory to glory and from strength to strength! He wants us to keep going and keep growing!

And I just love this quote from W.Wiersbe "Ministry means that God uses us to create a spiritual atmosphere that encourages others to grow and become more fruitful in the Lord."

And I pray that that would be true of me wherever I go and whatever ministry I'm involved in.

Speaking of wherever I go... I left York beginning of this week (hence M-A-Y) and I don't think I'll be back there anytime soon. It was a hard farewell but sweet at the same time because I know the Lord is moving me on. What He's moving me on to may not seem like my usual cup of tea but it's His cup of tea for me and I would much rather have the cup of tea that He's prepared for me than the one that I could try and make myself!

Saying goodbye is always so hard and this goodbye was harder still because the people at CCY had become my family away from my family. I've been there for 3 1/2 years now so I've seen couples start to date, couples get engaged, couples get married, babies born, children grow, students graduate, buildings torn down, buildings refurbished, people come and people go. And this time it's my turn to go. A farewell pot luck was organised after the Sunday morning service and the elders prayed me off. I was so touched by everyone's presence there and their kind words, cards and gifts. I don't think that I've ever cried so much in my life!

As the Lord moves me on I stand firm on His promise in Joshua 1:9

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Please pray for the Lord's wisdom, guidance and direction as I take this somewhat daunting next step in my life.