I am super thankful for a pretty low key week. We got back from domestic missions on Sunday night and started our week off strong with a sabbath. Since then we’ve had breakfast at 9:00 and pretty open afternoons. That’s an answered prayer from last week’s requests! I have gotten quite a bit more quiet time than any other week we’ve been here thus far, so thank you God for that!
Back to Base
We packed up our stuff and cleaned up the Mashulaville Dormitory on Sunday morning and then headed to the Choctaw church for service. We were a few minutes late (it’s kind of hard to get 30 teenagers out the door on time), but they graciously waited for us to finish filing in before starting the service. We did get to sing in Choctaw, but I do not know what the words meant. After the service, we stuck around for a potluck where they shared some of their cultural foods with us. We brought cookies and a fruit tray. Someone brought pumpkin pies, and they were a big hit. We all piled back into the vans for the drive back to the Adventures in Missions base in Gainesville. The ride started out quiet, but got progressively more chaotic as the ride went on. My attempt to FaceTime my brother Ethan (shout out to the best brother ever 😁) was largely unsuccessful because of the large quantity of background noise. It was a good time, despite being the farthest thing from the quiet time I had been craving.
I had hoped to be excited to be back to somewhere familiar, but as we pulled into the driveway, I realized that base has become a little too familiar. Spending weeks on the same property, only being allowed to leave for planned outings, gets old pretty quick. Let’s just say I am quite excited to get out of here and find a change of scenery overseas.
Team Talk
After a relaxing sabbath on Monday, Tuesday was reserved for team debriefs. Each team met with all of our leaders (squad leaders, squad mentors, and coaches) to talk about how we’re doing with team bonding. My team had a really good conversation at domestic missions that has led to a lot of growth in regards to team unity, vulnerability, and respect, but the general consensus was that we still have room to grow. Fortunately, we are blessed with a team in which every single person is committed to doing what we can to support our growth as a team. I can’t wait to see where that brings us as we lean into building stronger relationships. There’s been a lot of talk this week about how our relationships with each other can play such a big role in showing Jesus to the lost. John 13:35 says, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” We have the opportunity to reveal God’s nature simply by loving one another. I can’t wait to see how God continues to grow us in unity as we keep looking to Him.
I’m sick, but it’s fine.
I woke up on Wednesday with a sore throat, which for me generally leads to a lot of congestion and a cough and usually a fever. Fortunately, that did not happen! I am a bit congested, but it’s honestly not that bad, and I’ve still had enough energy to go to everything on the schedule except worship once. So thank you Jesus for that! I also have tissues and cough drops and a few other things coming from Walmart tomorrow, so I’ll have them if I need them on the plane.
Sonship
Our squad mentor Madison taught our squad a session on the Father heart of God, and it was actually so good. She laid out how there are essentially two ways to approach a relationship with God. One is to view yourself as an orphan. This perspective leads to a life of striving. The alternative is to gain understanding of our identity as sons and daughters of God, allowing us to live a life of gratitude and peace. The bottom line is that the viewpoint you have shapes every aspect of your life and every aspect of your faith.
The first thing we have to recognize is that whether or not we are adopted sons and daughters of God is not determined by our performance at all. If we are truly Christians, we are called children— and even heirs— of God.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.(Romans 8:14-17)
That’s what God has for us! It’s so crazy!
Adoption Changes Everything!
Madison went into a whole bunch of detail on the specifics of how understanding God’s Father heart for us changes how we live. She got all of this out of a book called Spiritual Slavery to Sonship by Jack and Trisha Frost. I can’t speak for the rest of that book, but this part is really good.
Orphan Hearts
Orphan hearts see God as a Master whom they must appease. They are independent and self-reliant because they are so focused on what they can do to earn God’s favor. They live by love of the law in an effort to be perfect. They are insecure in their weakness, which leads to a whole lot of striving. Works are never enough, so they never find peace. Similar to how they are always trying to earn God’s favor, people with an orphan heart are always striving for praise, approval, and acceptance of man. They devote themselves to service because of their need for personal achievement. They spend time reading the Bible and praying and seek purity purely out of duty. They view themselves from a lens of self-rejection and comparison. They seek counterfeit affections for comfort because they don’t know how to access the true comfort available in their Father. Their relationships are plagued with competition, rivalry, and jealousy. When others fail, they respond with accusation and condemnation. They view all authority other than themselves with suspicion and distrust. When admonished, they take offense and feel personally rejected. They fail to express love well because they are guarded and love conditionally. They see God’s presence as conditional and distant. This leaves them in a constant state of bondage. They never feel at home, and they are controlled by spiritual ambition. They live in fear of the future because everything feels dependent on their performance.
Daughters and Sons
Daughters and sons see God as their loving Father who will love them unconditionally. They depend completely on God and on the church as the body of Christ. They live by the law of love and find security, peace, and rest in the Father’s embrace. Rather than seeking approval, they remember that they are already accepted and loved by God and justified by His grace. They serve Him out of deep gratitude and pursue Him through spiritual disciplines because of the pleasure and delight they find in spending time with their Father. They pursue holiness out of love for their Father and desire to be more like Him. They see themselves as precious and valued in His sight. Sons and daughters find comfort in quiet and solitude with God. They pursue humility and unity in relationships, which allows them to give grace when others fail. They are respectful, honoring, and teachable when under authority because they recognize that their Father is completely in control. They see correction as a valuable opportunity for growth. They love openly and affectionately out of the love they experience from their Father. They understand that God’s presence is constant and not dependent on their behavior. This leaves them in a place of liberty. They remain calm in their Father’s embrace and content with what He has given them. They seek the future patiently because they know that it is guaranteed to be bright.
I’m learning!
I think the majority of my life has been spent with more of an orphan heart than a daughter’s heart. I tend to gravitate towards trying to earn acceptance or to perform so that God will want me. If we’re honest, most of us have probably tried to fix ourselves for God in one way or another. The last several years I have been learning, slowly and steadily, to step into my identity as God’s daughter. I’ve been discovering that God’s heart for me doesn’t change when I mess up. I’m still His daughter, and He still loves me and pursues me. None of my achievements earn me any favor either because I already have all of His favor. I don’t have to earn anything because Jesus already accomplished it all on the cross. It’s absolutely wild. I can’t wait to continue to pursue my Father more in the coming year through spending time with Him in prayer and in the Word and serving Him every single day. He is so good!
Our very last session of debrief is starting, so I have to go. See you next week!
