Reflections:: Africa (Part 1- Pre Bush)

Base Camp

(Real quick-- Here's some  need to know lingo:

BUSH: a time period where you and your team take the big lovely army truck anywhere from 5-12 hours away from the Base to reach a rural village, pitch tents,  preach the Gospel, and live in the Zambian desert with the locals)

Goodness.
I have been thinking about what to type in this empty space for a month, and I just have no idea how to put the experience into words that could sufficiently explain all that happened in Zambia this summer.

Well, I guess I can start off by saying-- Holy Cow. 


You know how before you do something, you build up a whole lot of expectations for what the experience will be like? Well, I had a ton of expectations of what this trip was going to look like but I couldn't have even begun to anticipate beforehand what God had in store for the us and the Zambians.

A few days before we left for Africa, the scribbles in my journal said mostly phrases such as this:

- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
- What am I going to say?
- Is my testimony even RELATABLE?!
- What if they ask me to speak? I dunno what to SAY!
- I'm scared
- I'm scared
- I'm scared
- Am I even spiritual enough to go?
- Do I know enough scripture?
- WHAT AM I DOING!?

I had no idea what things were going to be like. I have heard many amazing testimonies from missionaries about the wonders they experienced overseas and I was like "Sheesh. These people and God must be TIGHT to have experienced what they have!" I had the picture in my head that in order to be a missionary overseas you had to "have it all together" so to say.

So, that was kind of my mindset going into it- So... I downloaded some books, then bought some books, downloaded a junk ton of podcasts and decided that the whole flight to Africa I would try to cram as much "Jesus" into my mind as I could so that when I got there, I would be 'spirit filled' and equipped with a lot of knowledge about Jesus and the Gospel to share with people. I truly felt that I needed to work really hard to equip myself to be ready to do this ministry and to get to experience the kinds of things that people had told me about, as if I had to deserve them somehow.
(And, you can guess Who wrecked that mentality when I got there.. But that's another story for another blog!) 

After over 24 hours of flying and a lovely 12 hour layover in Germany, we finally reached the land of Zambia! Our AMAZING leaders came and picked us up from the airport and we rode in a large army truck back to the Base Camp. At Base Camp, there were lots of other full time missionaries, part time missionaries, expedition teams, and many students going through a program called Advanced Missions Training. It was seriously so cool to be surrounded by tons of other believers who were truly pressing into the presence of God and seeking His heart constantly. I loved getting to know other people and hear about what they were learning in the season of life they were in.

Not only were the people beautiful, but so was the land surrounding us. 
We were literally sharing the same air as the Zambezi River. The top of the camp overlooked this BEAUTIFUL gorge ( which we also got to hike down! And by we I mean- they (my team) .. I only made it halfway down! Haa.)

One particular morning, bright and early, I got to have some quiet time over looking this beautiful scene. The air was fresh, I could hear the clashing of the waters below me, and these sweet little birds were a chirpin' away. It was oh so peaceful. During my time with the Lord that morning, He began to reveal to me the flaws in the ways that I looked at my relationship with Him.
I was seeing my relationship with Him as severed. As in, we were separate beings. I am a sinner and He is Jesus. End of story.
But that wasn't the end of the story.

That was the BEGINNING of the story!

I was a sinner. Dead in my sins and headed for nothing more than a life of abandonment, loneliness and eternal emptiness.
But then, Jesus began to draw me to Himself, opening my eyes to see that as humans, all we are capable of doing is what is natural to us - Sin. No matter how many "good things" we have done or will do. But God loved us so much that He gave his son Jesus as a sacrifice to become our sin, take the penalty for our sins, and put its' power over us to death.  It is only by believing that His sacrifice was sufficient for my sins and trusting that it is only through Him that I can be made right with God.  And if I am made right with God through Jesus, that would require us to be one, or for some sort of identity exchange to take place. And it did. What is mine is now His, and what is His is now mine. We are ONE! My identity is now in Him and who He is.

Galatians 2:20 explains this exchange perfectly: 
"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

Being the visual person I am, I had to draw it out :)

** In this picture, we are two separate people. This relationship would require me to do things by myself, call on Him when I need Him to come to me and help me, and ask and ask and ask until He comes. This is not the relationship I have entered in to.

It is this one:

** In this relationship, Jesus lives in me and I in Him. Because I have received His Spirit by believing He is who he says and that He lived, died and was raised to life by God's power-- I no longer have to strive for Him to come to me-- He is with me. Christ is the head, and I am His hands and His feet-- Where He goes, I go.**


Through these truths, I began to realize that I often tried to live for Jesus by trusting in my own effort-- by being my own salvation. God gently showed me that we were one-- And that I was to continue walking in this journey by trusting not in myself and what I could and could not do, but by "trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me".


With this new truth, I felt a little more assured about being in Africa, because it wouldn't be me at work, but it would be Him. Still I was super afraid. 



Every morning, we would all worship together, pray over one another, speak over one another and just build one another up! I have never experienced anything like this before.

I know in the Bible it talks all about building the church, and after seeing the way this community of believers encouraged and interceded on each other's behalf-- It clicked. 

During our worship and prayers times, there would be multiple people that came up to me and to others and would say, "Hey! God has a word of encouragement for you that He has told me and I would like to speak it over you" or " I feel lead to pray for you" or during worship, somebody would speak up after the song and tell about a revelation that God had given them during the song. These visions and revelations were just so beautiful, pictorial, awe inspiring and so full of truth.  I just kept shaking my head at God saying, "What in the world...This is so friggin cool... YOU are COOL." 

And. It. Just. Got. BETTER!

Before our expedition team left, the whole base prayed over our team. And right in the middle of the prayer, the man leading the prayer ( I forgot his name!) spoke up and said, "Which of you here is afraid?" 

Ha. Crap. THAT would be me! 
Right over here
PRAYING no one will raise their hand and we can move the heck on so I won't be found out!

I just wanted to shrivel up to the floor and crawl on my knees out the door-- I KNEW that was me.

So I awkwardly raise my hand, and a few other people did to. 

"Stand in the middle. We're prayin' that fear away and off of you."

Eeesh. Well alrighty!

So this man and all of our base friends surrounded us and began praying bold things over us commanding that spirit of fear to leave and to never return and all these other things that made me bawl like a baby. But dang- It was so good. In that moment I felt the Lord's presence come over me and bring the very comfort I needed to step forward in faith.
Little did I know that those very prayers lifted up by our friends would be answered in full measure by the Lord on this trip and continue to bear fruit in my life.

He came up to the three of us afterward and he looked at us and said "Now. I want to talk to you when you get back from the bush."

We all nodded our heads in agreement.

Then! Off we went-- 5 hours to reach the village called Siatchitema!

To be continued....
:)

** I will write more stories and more "parts" to this!**

100% Funded!

That's right-- 100% funded!!

No scratch that. It's more like 110%, because not only did God provide exactly the amount I needed, but overflowed the amount. My mind is seriously
BLOWN.
AWAY.

It's been what feels like such a long, fundraising journey, but really—its only been about 3 ½ months.
3 ½ months to raise $5,000. This seemed absolutely impossible to me, but the Lord assured me it was not!
I want to share with you the story of how God provided in all of this.
I know this might be a little bit long and exhausting to read, but I cannot CONTAIN the joy and wonder I am experiencing through God's provision of this trip – And I want you to experience it with me :)

The cool thing is, is that this trip is not only for me or for the team members going, but the trip in and of itself, it is an investment into the Kingdom of Heaven whether you are the missionary being sent, the giver supporting the missionary, the prayer warrior fighting behind the scenes for souls to be won over, or the humble servant who gave their time up to support and build up the team. In the end, it doesn't matter which role you played – The end result is MORE people coming to know Jesus and His love for them, and that is all that matters. So, I am so glad that we have gotten to go on this journey together and will get to see all of the marvelous things God has planned for the people in Zambia!

Okay, where do I start.
How about the "I think I'm going to go to Zambia" part?

So! I wanted to go to Africa a few years back, but things never really panned out or worked out. About 2 years ago, I heard of an organization called Overland Missions and some people told me about their experiences and I automatically thought, "Dang! I wanna go do that!" But I didn't have a group to go with and again, nothing really panned out. At the beginning of this year, I started thinking about what I wanted to do for the summer. I looked into different mission trips and church camps, but AGAIN—Nothing worked out. So, I just decided I would take some summer classes and stay and work in Portales for the entire summer. Well, I had a friend come and talk to me one time about his experience in Zambia and it sounded absolutely incredible. "Wow I really want to go.." I thought to myself, but then I thought about how ridiculous that sounded and brushed the thought away. Months later, I went to Do Drop In to get some coffee and read my bible and as I was reading, I overheard two people talking to someone I knew about making investments into the Kingdom of God by giving of our time, money and efforts. (I pretty much pretended I was reading my bible, but I was really eavesdropping on their conversation because I was so intrigued!). Immediately after my friend left, I was like, "Dang! I really need to go meet these people!" So, I walked over to Brandy and Casey O'Connor (who are now my leaders for the trip) and introduced myself and we just got to talking and they were incredibly encouraging! Brandy, then invited me to an Overland Conference that was taking place that next weekend and she really encouraged me to go. I was so excited when I left, and then as the date approached for the conference, I started backing out of my decision to go to the conference. Two days before the conference, I made up my mind… "I'm NOT going." Later that night, I ran into a friend who has been to Zambia before (but whom I usually don't see). He asked (rather, STRONGLY encouraged) me to go to the conference. I got really excited about it and decided I would go, but then,  ya know, the next day I decided again— "I'm NOT going." Finally, the day of the conference, my friend Haleigh asked me if I would go with her to the conference and I finally decided I would go for sure. I got to the conference and I was just, in awe. Hearing about the vision of Overland to reach the nations and making Kingdom investments just rocked my world! I was deeply moved yet, I was still hesitant about going on a trip, but deep down in my heart I knew I needed to go. I didn't really even want to necessarily, but I felt moved to. Right after the service, Brandy ran up to me and said, "Well! Are you coming or what?!" I looked at her with very confused eyes and said, "Ayyye. I don't know :( " Then she told me, "I just keep hearing ONE word in my head over and over, and that is faith." And with that, I decided to pick up an application and go for it. I mean I'm 20, single, and I have a passport and an open summer. Why not? And if God doesn't want me to go, I won't right?

 Fast forward a few weeks—I got accepted to go on the trip and the fundraising process began—90 days before the money was due. Usually on missions trips, you start fundraising a long time in advance to assure the money is in on time—well not this time! I looked on the website at the meter that told me how much money I had raised, which showed a long empty meter with thousands of dollars to be raised in a short amount of time. I sighed a big ole sigh of discouragement and then I heard the Lord speak to my heart, "Take a picture of it. And watch me FILL IT." Uhh, seriously? I'm really gonna look like an idiot if I do and this meter never gets filled and I don't go. But, again I heard Brandy's 'word' come into my head: faith.

Towards the beginning of the fundraising process, I found out that I had to have $200 in within the first week, and I ended up just using my own money to pay for it since I hadn't begun telling people about it yet! Shortly after, I made some newsletters to send out to all of my friends and family, and then I realized it was going to cost me and arm and a leg to print all of them out in color and buy envelopes and buy stamps. Sigh. Then randomly, a super charming young man [You know who you are ;)] made copies of my newsletters, had them printed in color, stuffed all the envelopes, and bought stamps so they could be sent out.
After the letters were sent out and a link posted on Facebook, different people were moved by the Lord to give—and very generously. Slowly but surely, the money started coming in.
Sometimes there were days where I would be super discouraged because I hadn't received money in weeks, and then I would check the mail and there would be the exact amount I needed to keep up with my financial goals. As the deadline came closer, a very generous man gave me $500… and that same week, one of our family friends called me up and told me that the Lord had laid it on her heart to pay for the rest of my trip. AAAHHmazing! So with that, I turned in the rest of my money. Even after I turned my money in, more was coming in! Thankfully, that next week we found out that our plane ticket price was going to go up a few hundred dollars. Yet! I had the perfect amount of money left over to spend on the ticket out of the overflow of other's giving. Then, I found out I needed to take about $300 with me to get visas and for extra spending money, but I had no more money left. By this time, I went on vacation for a week, and when I got back, three people just happen to donate $100. AGAIN—amazed! So then, I got my financial report back saying all the money was in and the flight was booked! At that moment, I remembered the picture that the Lord told me to take at the very beginning of this process, and so I took another!

Oh yes! And remember the $200 I paid out of pocket in the very beginning? Well... This morning I got a call from my Nanny telling me one of her friends woke up this morning and the Lord put it on her heart to donate $200. Good grief... Down to the last PENNY God provided every single bit of it. How precise and detailed He is! 

It just amazes me at how I sometimes underestimate God's provision and what He is capable of doing. Heck, he could have raised all that money in one day! But I am just so wowed that He would use something such as raising money stretch my own and other's faith and prove to be so faithful in equipping me with what I needed to go where He called.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our team financially, spiritually and in every other way. Thank you for being one of God's instruments in reaching the nations and even for helping me grow in my walk with the Lord. This whole process has opened my eyes to how God will provide for His kiddos and prove to be faithful, each and every time.

Stepping into Freedom

Good gosh. This morning has been rough.

From the moment my eyes opened when I woke up this morning, my heart has weighed heavy and consumed by feelings of despair. The " I don’t want to get out of my bed, can't stop crying, can't clear my brain because I feel totally, 100% defeated and crushed" kind of feelings. 

What force could have such power to debilitate a person to where they feel like they cannot see or think straight, that they cannot move forward, and that they have no hope?

fear |fi(ə)r|

noun

a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc. whether it be real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Fear.

We’ve all felt it, we’ve all been sucked under its current, we’ve based decisions off of it, and we’ve allowed it to become a part of our identity.

Fear calls us to hide and conceal—convincing us that unless we do that, we will be discovered and rejected. Its plan is to cause our vision to close in and focus solely on it-- on fear and on self.

Fear constantly asks, “What if"?

It comes knocking on our doors in moments of pure happiness and tries to convince us that this joy won’t last, that it isn’t real, and that it is sure to come to ruins quickly. It comes to us in moments of mourning and despair and whispers in our ears that we will never leave that place of sadness—that there is no hope of relief. It comes to us in moments of insecurity and magnifies it. Fear tries to convince us to believe that we are utterly worthless.

Well what is this  “fear”? Who is the source of it and how much power does it REALLY have?

Well first, I can tell you what fear is NOT.

1 John 4:18 says:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

So if fear is not love, than who is?

1 John 4:8 says:
“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

SO! Fear is not of God, in fact, God’s love is aimed at destroying it by casting it out.  According to 1 John 4:18, fear has to do with punishment—with doom. 

And who on Earth would want to make us feel that daunting emotion?

John 8:44 says this about the devil:

“He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

John 10:10 also refers to the devil as a thief who has come only to “kill, steal and destroy”.

The devil's purpose So now that the SOURCE of fear is established, how much power does fear actually have over us?

 Matthew 28:18 says:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority under heaven and Earth has been given to me”

Then, in turn, Jesus gives US that same authority over evil when he says in Luke 10:18-19:
“....I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

That's just it-- He HAS no power! God has given us every resource, every weapon and every power to defeat and overcome the enemy—including fear.

Though it is an easy current to get sucked into and it can be so enticing to give into, fear is a lie. It lies about who we are, who others are, our future and how secure our hope is.

Again, fear constantly asks, “What if?”

But GOD asks: “What IS?”
What IS true about what I say about you? About others?

What IS true about your hope and future?
What IS true about who I’ve called you to be?

What is true is that

·      ~I have been fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

·      ~I was and am fully and completely known before I even came into existence (Jeremiah 1:5)

·     ~ I am LOVED with a love that is forever lasting, relentless, and unending (Jeremiah 31:3)

·      ~God’s goodness will not stop (Jeremiah 32:40)

·     ~ The plans for my future are good, not aimed to cause me harm (Jeremiah 29:11)

·     ~ Because I am a servant of the Lord, no weapon or word formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) 
    ~  I have been called to be a part of a chosen people, a holy priesthood, and God’s OWN special possession and I have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)

The list goes on and on and on and on all throughout God’s word.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve allowed fear to dominate your thoughts, control your decisions and even make its temporary residence in your heart.

But God has called us to such a higher quality of life. A life not lived in fear of what *might* happen, the hurt we *might* experience, the decisions we *might* have to make, what the future *might* hold, exc. As God’s children we have been rescued and delivered from a life controlled by fear. In fact, we’ve even been called out of that life.

2 Timothy 2:7 says:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”


Galatians 5:1 says:

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Yes, we’ve been called to freedom.

freedom |ˈfrēdəm|

noun

1. the state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily.

2. the absence of subjection to foreign dominance

It is good to remember that THIS is the life we have been called to: Freedom. 

Freedom in Christ, who is He and who He has called us to be. Not a life held down and restricted by fear and by worries about what is to come, but a life lived without chains to move freely, wholeheartedly and unafraid towards the One whose love is ever perfect, and without flaw or failure. This ability, and privilege is found in the name of Jesus- and He has called you, and me, to be free. 

"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." 
-John 8:36

Fundraising Update!

First of all, I must tell you how in awe I am of the ways that God has provided for this trip in just a matter of weeks! So far,  a little over $3,000 has come in out of the $4,800 needed to go on the trip. BAH! I am overwhelmed by the generous support and giving of many friends, family and community members who have invested their time and finances into making this trip possible. I wanted to thank you for first and foremost, for saying "Yes!" to the Lord by going into all the nations and proclaiming His name through your giving. You are just as much a part of our team that will be bringing the name of Jesus to many! So wooohoo! Secondly, I thank you for supporting me and making it possible for me to go on this expedition. And last but certainly not least, thank you SOO much for your continuous prayer for myself and our team as we prepare to go to Zambia and walk into what the Lord has for us, the believers and the unreached over in Africa. I believe that prayer is essential and has POWER! 

Ah.

Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you as a tool of His provision for this trip, and even as a tool to help increase my faith in HIS faithfulness. Through this fundraising process God has shown me time and time again how faithful He is to provide for every-single-one of our needs, and that not one of them goes unnoticed. And I believe He will provide the rest of the money for me to go! 

With this being said, I have approximately $1,800 more to go before I am fully funded! I have to have this amount in by June 1st!

IF you would like to give financially:

1. You can donate online by going to http://www.overlandmissions.com/. When you arrive at the page, if you look on the right side, there is a 'Donate' button. Fill out the donation application and place "Kaitlin Kirkpatrick" in the Donation Memo portion.

 OR

2. You can donate by mail! Please message me for my address :)

AGAIN! Thank you so much for all of your support! I will keep updates on the fundraising process along with the progress of the expedition!

Harvesting a Heart of Faith

Do you ever get stuck inside your own head?
Like- literally fixated in the same web of thoughts that you cannot seem to break free from?

It's so annoying.

Thought after thought, worry after worry, fear after fear, fret after fret-- swirling through every canal and crevice of your mind, until your mental ability to think is on lock down. And then you realize, "Holy cow, I've been looking at the same object for 30 minutes yet, have managed to mentally visit every 'what if' in my BRAIN."

It's exhausting--and crazy if you think about it. The power we allow our thoughts and fears that may not even be existing realities, to take dominance over our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Nuts!

 And I'm all too guilty of doing it- all. the. time. I was sitting at work this morning, staring at my desk (probably cross eyed) for a grand total of 45 minutes exhausting every option of what "could" happen with all the current changes taking place in this season of life. Well, after I realized what a DOWNER I was being, I tried focusing on something else but my mood just sucked after my all too depressing 'thinking' session. I was frequently annoyed with people that came in, had tears rolling at the front of my eyes with every frustrating thought, and I was just altogether a mess!

The reality of it was, in the physical realm- Nothing even happened. I became overwhelmed with a false sense of reality that I convinced myself was real.

That's the stupid thing about fear. (Well, everything about it is stupid- But you know what I mean)
It makes things a way bigger deal than they are.
Why??
Because it is false.

And I hear the voice of my mother every time I say this--

"Kaitlin, what is fear?"

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Fear calls us to come and hide in the darkness of the unknown. To sit and wonder about all the unseen things that 'could' be lurking around.

But the defense to fear is faith. 

Hebrews 11:1 says that,"faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

Fear gives apprehension of what we can't see, but faith gives us assurance of what we can't see.


And that really didn't make any sense until I gave it a try.

In the midst of the process of winding webs of fear, I opened my devotional to today's date and it said these words :
"The best response is a heart overflowing with gratitude. I am training you to cultivate a thankful mindset."

No offense, but the last thing I want to do is be grateful and thankful-- Honestly, I kind of want to keep spinning around in circles because in the most ODD way- It's comforting. Sometimes it's easier to fear and try to obsessively plan for every in and out of  the unknown instead of trusting the One who knows it all.

So I decided to try the thankful thing, and I just began thanking God for the process that He is taking me through for His faithfulness through the many processes in the past. And as I continued to bring those truths to the forefront of my mind, it was incredible the shift in my thoughts. By speaking truths and thanking Him in faith for what He has done and for who He is, I began feeling assured that I would be taken care of and that in the midst of the change, He would be faithful as He always has.

I don't get why I choose fear more than I chose faith, because God has given us every reason to trust Him. But thank the Lord that He is not finished yet!

Africa? I think YES!

That's right! 

Zambia, Africa!

A few months ago, I went to an Overland Missions Conference here in Portales and the Lord really placed it on my heart to go on an expedition to Zambia, Africa this summer. It was definitely something I was not expecting, but now I am most certainly looking forward to it!! 

I wanted to go to Africa about 3 years ago but I wasn't able to find an organization nor a group of people to go with. But now, the opportunity has presented itself once more and its -- happening! I am beyond stoked to see the things the Lord has planned for this country and the hearts He desires to minister to and REACH with His love. 

The organization I am going with, Overland Missions, is all about reaching the most neglected and remote people of the world with the Gospel and empowering the third world church by raising up strong leaders to continue investing into the lives of locals. My team will be focusing on exploring new regions, building lasting relationships with the villagers, and empowering the local churches to reach their own people. 

I have to raise $4,800 by June 1st at the latest. I know this is a lofty amount in a short amount of time, but I also know that where God leads us to go, He ALWAYS provides the way to get there. So I believe wholeheartedly that He will bring forth every penny. 

I am asking for help with financial and prayer support! This is not merely an opportunity to give to a missions fund, but ultimately an opportunity to invest into the Kingdom of Heaven and be a part of God's work in reaching the people of Zambia and throughout the Earth! 

Any amount that you feel led to give is appreciated!! :) 

If you would like to give, there are two options:

1. You can donate online by going to http://www.overlandmissions.com/. When you arrive at the page, if you look on the right side, there is a 'Donate' button. Fill out the donation application and place "Kaitlin Kirkpatrick" in the Donation Memo portion.

 OR

2. You can donate by mail! Please message me for details on this one :)

Not only is financial support necessary, but also prayer support. If you would please keep myself and my team in your prayers as we go to Zambia to share the message of Jesus, that would be absolutely wonderful.

I am STOKED to see all that God has in store for this summer and for the region of Zambia--It's going to be amazing!! 

What's It Gonna Cost Me?

What a beautiful Sunday it has been! It's so ironic how most of New Mexico was layered up and in snow boots last week and in shorts today-- I love it!

But what I  have loved most about today is-- washing dishes. 

We quite the load of dirty dishes so I had about 1 hour of cleaning to do, but I got to spend it talking with Jesus about different things-- silly things, dumb things, scary things and things that hurt. And it was just sweet.

To be able to talk with the One who understands us wholly and completely, without fear of being rejected or misunderstood is a beautiful, beautiful privilege we have in our relationship with Jesus.

And what God showed me during this time of scrub-a-dubbin is that ENJOYING the relationship we have with Jesus is something we often overlook or miss. We can get so caught up in the rut of life and the "duty" of "religion" that we forget to enjoy Him and what He's done. 

I was thinking about people that I know in my life who have such a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus that whenever I see them, I just see His face in theirs and His spirit is so overwhelming. I look at people like that who are so overcome by His Spirit that I just can't help but want it! 

So I told God that I wanted that.

"God, I just want to be close to you-- As close as I can get. 

 And I've made up my mind. SO. 

What's it gonna cost me?"

Because everything comes with a cost, right? 

I have to earn it somehow. I have to overcome a certain trial or a long list of tough circumstances or spend this amount of time praying about it and once I do that, then I will have more of His Spirit, a deeper sense of His presence and then be closer to Him... right?

But His words were so much sweeter than that, and the response was so much more simple..

"I've already paid that cost, Kaitlin." 

Dang. And then I started to really think about it:

Jesus has already done EVERYTHING He could to get close to me--to get close to you. Everything. He held nothing back when He gave His life to restore our relationship.

Before Jesus, people had to make sacrifice after sacrifice and follow law after law to even come near His presence. Not only that, but they couldn't enter the Tabernacle or the Temple unless they underwent special and specific preparation-- Because God is holy and we are not.

But when Jesus came, His mission was to restore that relationship that God intended for us to have from the beginning-- Like the one He had with Adam and Eve before sin entered the world. To talk face to face, to walk next to each other, to laugh, to hug, and just be together. But none of that was POSSIBLE because our sinful nature separates us from God. 

But Jesus gave His life so that we could have access to Him, be in relationship with Him and be wholly and completely satisfied in our new right standing with Him.

"God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we may be the righteousness of God."

-2 Cor. 2:51

He paid the price so that we could be close to Him. When we believe in what He has done, we ARE the righteousness of God. We have access to Him now-- Just as we are! 

We can hear his voice, feel His smile, have His spirit inhabited within us--giving us guidance, strength and comfort. 

Jesus already PAID the cost for us to be close with him. Doesn't that change everything? Because He has already done everything He could to get close to me, it is ME standing in the way of the intimacy I could have with Him. 

I think the picture at the top explains it perfectly, our privilege is to enjoy His presence. Being with Him shouldn't be a duty, a chore, or something to mark off on a checklist. It's our privilege and delight to continue drawing closer and closer to Him until we take our last breath, and finally get to see Him face to face.

Until then, I think this life is a journey of getting rid of that space between us and Him and constantly seeking to be as close as we can to a God who wholly satisfies.