My Poppy Story

Every time I open my Bible to the Psalms, I smile. Because I see a wine-red, paper-thin flower pressed between its pages.

That flower means so much to me because it represents answered prayer.

I moved to Italy when I was eleven and, for four years, the only person near to my age who was a Christian and could speak English lived two hours away. I rarely saw her and when I did see her, it was only for a short matter of time. Even though I’m not much of a “people person,” I craved fellowship.

I pleaded with God for just one friend. Just one girl who could relate to me. Many tears were shed and God and I had so many conversations about it, which mainly consisted of me begging for a friend. But He did not answer my prayers, at least not in the way I had hopes He would.

Finally, I gave it up to God; I learned to be content with what He had given me.

A few weeks after giving this up, my mom told me a family was considering moving to Florence and they had two girls close to my age. I couldn’t believe it. Never in my wildest dreams did I actually think God would answer my prayers like that.

So for our final year in Italy I had not one, but two friends who lived five minutes away.

On one of their last nights in Italy, they came over to our house for dinner. Grace, one of the girls, handed me a poppy when she came in. Poppies are my most favorite-ist flowers in the world. She told me I could put it in my Bible.

And so I did, to remember that God answers prayers. Even big prayers like asking for someone to get to know me well enough to give me a poppy.

On the page where my poppy is pressed, one verse reads, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” Even though I placed my poppy in my Bible at random, it just happened to be the perfect page. My poppy reminds me to give thanks, that God loves me. It also reminds me of something similar that happened to the Israelites.

In Joshua, the Israelites attempted to cross the Jordan, even though the mighty river was in its flood season. Joshua instructed the people to cross the river, explaining that God said “its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” The people found His words to be true because as soon as their feet touched the water, the river dried up and the everyone was able to walk across it.

God instructed Joshua to take twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, from the middle of the river. The reason for this is explained in verse twenty:

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”

That poppy is my twelve stones, my reminder that my God is all-powerful, yet He loves me enough to listen to my prayers and answer them. I think it’s important to remember what God has done for us, to remember it often and to tell others what He has done for us. So that He can have the glory He deserves.

What’s your poppy story?

But the Lord looks on the heart…

Ever since I was little I’ve been surrounded by Christians. My parents work for a Christian organization and I went to elementary school at a private Christian school, so I never interacted with non-believers until I moved to Italy. However, I expected to be around non-believers. We were there to be missionaries after all. So it really wasn’t until a month ago, when I started going to an American public school, that I was surrounded by non-Christians.

There have been lots of challenges so far, but one thing I keep calling myself out on (yet can’t seem to quit doing) is judging others. I find myself constantly judging others and it can can get confusing. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say a girl is sitting in front of me in math class. The first thing I think when I see her is how immodest her clothes are. She must not be a Christian. Later that day I see her in the Christian club that meets at our school. I guess I was wrong. Then I hear her using a lot of cuss words when she’s talking with her friends. I guess she’s not? But then I see her at church on Sunday!

See how messy judging can get? I don’t know what this girl’s heart is like, but I immediately assume she’s not a Christian by the way she acts. Now, if her actions don’t match up with her beliefs then there is a problem, but all of us are sinners and we all fall short. My outer actions might seem more “pure” than others at school, but I have a lot of other sinful habits that might not always be present.

Whenever I start thinking judgmental thoughts about someone this verse always pops into my head: But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

If someone is committing a sin, whether it be through their language or clothing or something else, they are committing a sin, but that doesn’t warrant my judgment on them. That’s God’s job. We need to look at others as God does and appreciate others as unique creations before immediately labeling them for sinful behavior.  This week I encourage you to love on others instead of judging them, to give them grace instead of dissaproving frowns, and to remind yourself that you’re sinful too and it’s only by God’s mercy that you’re His.

Thankful

Are you thankful for your Christian brothers and sisters? It can be hard to be thankful for them sometimes, especially the ones in your home country because they’re often so different from you. If you struggle to appreciate the Christians you meet when you’re home on furlough in the States (or wherever your home country is), consider the following:

Many of the Christians you’ll meet have not ever left the US. They don’t know what life in another country is like nor can they comprehend what having several different homes is like. One thing that you have in common is Christ. If you can’t find anything else to talk about, tell the person how God is working in your life or how He has in the past.

They’re doing their best to relate to you. Even though they can’t understand what it’s like to be an mk, they want to be a friend. Take time to listen to what they have to say and get to know them a bit. You can share with them some about your experiences as a missionary kid, but remember to listen, too.

The Christians you interact with could be supporters of your family both through prayer and finances. If you get a chance, thank them for their generosity and share with them how God is using their money and time to further His kingdom wherever you work.

Next time you have a hard time being thankful for the people God has placed around you, remember these tips and consider how you can be a blessing to others!

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. -Philippians 1:3-6

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Written by Jessica B.

Food for Thought

Friendship is unnecessary, it has no survival value; but it’s one of those things that gives value to survival

- C.S. Lewis

 

 

Acquainted With All My Ways

To mix things up, I recorded a video for today’s post instead of just writing. I have to admit, I feel pretty self-conscious putting this up! I’ve been going back and forth about posting it, but decided I might as well.

So now you know what my voice sounds like! Hope you like it!

The Aroma of Christ

During my family’s five-year stay in Italy, I often wondered how much of an impact I had really made for Christ. I had made several attempts to share the Gospel with my Italian friends over the years and I always did my best to live out my faith around them, but I doubted if they even noticed. Italy is a Catholic country which, oddly, makes ministry ten times harder as they often Italians think they are saved just because their family is Catholic. Thus, with their thinking they were already good to go since they were members of the Church and my language barriers, my message just never seemed to penetrate their hearts.

However, on the one of the very last days of our time in Italy, one of my dear Italian friends came over for one last goodbye. With her, she brought a few small parting gifts and a letter, which she told me to read later on by myself. The letter was full of sweet things like how much she would miss me, but one thing really stood out to me. She wrote that she was inspired by my faith and my dedication to it and the way I lived it out everyday. That brought tears to my eyes. She had been listening after all.

This reminded me again of how sovereign our Lord is. He used my feeble attempts to share with my friends and broke through my many language mistakes to reveal Himself to my friends. Even when it feels like no one is listening or no one can even tell you’re different, they really are watching. Jesus will always shine through you if you let Him. Let me encourage you to live out your faith every single day and invest your time in others, even if it seems useless. God will work through you when you least expect it; don’t let your years as missionary kids slip away from you. Take advantage of your time now and shine for Jesus!

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…” -2 Corinthians 2:15

Saying Goodbye Well

As TCKs (third culture kids), we have to say goodbyes more often than the average person. People are constantly going and coming and sometimes we even have to say goodbye to family members as they go off to college or move back to the US.

Goodbyes are hard to say. It aches to mutter such final words. It’s a whole lot easier and saves a lot of heart ache to just not say goodbye. Later on, though, when the suitcases are out of sight and the memories flood into your mind, you’ll regret not saying goodbye and your friendship might even suffer from it. In the end, it’s worth saying goodbye and when you say it, make sure it’s well said. Here are three ways to say goodbye well…

1. Forgive and Forget. Colossians 3:12-14 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  If there’s anything from the past that you need to ask forgiveness for, do it. Also, if there’s anything that you still have against the person that’s leaving, forgive her/him. You don’t want to say goodbye when there are still some cobwebs in your relationship. Even if it’s painful, and even if you have to initiate, bring everything out in the open and forgive.

2. Be intentional. Purposefully ask for a time to say goodbye. Whether that’s just ten minutes together or talking over ice cream or coffee for an hour, make time to talk about all of your past memories and let the person know how much they mean to you. Exchange contact information if you don’t already have it. List things you love about that person. Take a last picture. Use this time to forgive each other for past instances. Pray together. Don’t make your last moments together a teary, achy, miserable experience. Enjoy the company of this person and leave knowing you ended well.

3. Be thankful. Be thankful for the opportunity of getting to know this person. Instead of being gloomy, be joyful about all the wonderful memories you have together and look to the future for all the new memories you’ll make. Sometimes the sweetest friendships develop best at distances. Stay optimistic and continue to pray for your friend. Also, look forward to the new relationships God will bring into your life.

Next time you have to say goodbye to someone you love, remember to end well and confidently say goodbye knowing your relationships is on the right track. Also, remember that if your friend has a personal relationship with Jesus, then one day you will be together again in Heaven and there will be no more goodbyes. And even though sometimes it’s easy to forget, we all do have one friend that we will never ever have to say goodbye to: God. Take your aches and hurts and broken friendships to Him and let Him heal you with His perfect friendship.

More Than Enough

“You know, I think it’s pointless to date right now anyways. It doesn’t make any sense. Besides, I want my first kiss to be when I get married.”

I looked at the girl sitting across from me on the faux-hardwood floor. My face broke into a smile. “I totally agree. Dating now is just practice for divorce.”

This was just one of several deep conversations about guys I had with my three best friends that night. We were camped out on the floor of Friend Number One’s room, surrounded by blankets, Mountain Dew, and several cans of Multi Grain Creamy Ranch Pringles.

As I sat there, I thought back to another conversation I had with another best friend. It was the end of my seventh grade year. “My sister Allison is nineteen and she’s never been kissed! Can you imagine that?”

“Are you serious?” another girl asked.

My face grew hot. I didn’t intend to be kissed until I was far older that nineteen. I never thought that would be looked down upon.

My parents have always had very clear boundaries on dating and guys: no dating, but you can court when you’re ready to get married. I’ve always respected them for that and agreed with it. I think that’s been one of the defining things in my life. Because I’ve known that I can’t date, I don’t look at guys as someone who can satisfy the loneliness in my heart.

So many girls don’t realize that they don’t need a guy in their lives; that they will never need a guy. One of my youth pastor’s recently said about his fiance, “She decided that she didn’t need me, she only needs Jesus, and that’s one of the reasons I love her so much. She stands out everywhere she goes because she doesn’t need people. Jesus is enough.”

Hearing that, I wanted to be like her. It never bothers me that I don’t have a boyfriend, but I’ve ever thought of not needing someone. I’ve always thought that at some point in my life, the right guy would ride into the picture, sweep me off my feet, and we would live happily ever after. He would be my everything.

That’s not biblical, and neither is it healthy. I have a friend who’s very wrapped up in her boyfriend – in fact, she used to be one of my closest friends before he came into the picture. When they started going out, she pushed me away, wanting to spend all her time with him.

That’s not healthy.

I think that’s so crucial among girls my age. Many girls don’t know how to just be friends with a boy, and they assume that there’s something wrong with them if they don’t have a boyfriend. That is completely untrue.

At the risk of sounding cliché, Jesus should be enough. Yes, we all want a guy to tell us that we’re beautiful; we all want to be wanted. We are all wanted, by Jesus: more than enough.

Written by Katie