"When you know whose you are, you can achieve and overcome any bump you might find in the road." This was one of the opening thoughts of Hon. Yvette McGee Brown when she spoke at The Gathering of Women on April 26.
Her message was one that resonated deeply with me. "Be open to yes," she said. "God will never put you in a place that you are not equipped to handle."
WOW. Spoke straight to my heart. Why?
Well, let me share 2 big reasons:
- Five years ago, on May 1, 2008, I said "yes" and officially launched Into the Field. Hard to believe that it has been 5 years! In that time I have met some amazing people who have deep passions in their hearts to live their faith and impact the lives of others. In that time almost $1.275 MILLION dollars have passed through our accounts on their way to do God's work and grow His Kingdom. As exciting as that day was in 2008, it was also scary because I have always been one who liked things safe. I've always been fiscally conservative so that I would have the resources to do the things I wanted to do. And now I would have to truly trust that I was following God's will and that He would provide. Remember the Fall of 2008? Yep, well, that was a good time of stretching for that faith and trust of mine.
- June 20, 2012. This is the day that I met Olivia. Being a wife and a mom have always been two of the deepest dreams of my heart, but for reasons only He knows, they were not dreams that God had for my life -- yet. But on June 20, 2012, when I picked up Olivia for the first time, I had a strong sense that I wasn't to be praying for her forever family to come, but rather that I was her family. This has been a year of lots (and lots) of waiting, and for a person not known for her patience, this has been difficult. But it has been through the waiting that I have also had some of my greatest seasons of growth. And now we are approaching the end of this chapter...soon I will be travelling to China to bring Olivia home (wouldn't it be really cool if I was there with her again on June 20? You can join me in praying for that!). If you want to follow our journey, you can do so here.
These are two pretty significant experiences in my life where I took the leap and was "open to YES"; open to trusting that there is One who has plans far greater for me than I could ever imagine.
Are you "open to yes"? God may not be asking you to quit your job or adopt a child (although He may be...and there are an estimated 147 million orphans who could use some loving!), but maybe He is asking you to extend your hand to someone in need; maybe He wants you to greet someone with a smile; maybe...
She closed saying, "There is something that is yours and yours alone that God has prepared you for. Find out what it is and do it. Be prepared to step up and say YES to the opportunities that are opened to you."
You can do it. I know you can. Raise your hand. Be open to yes. You have what it takes!
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