As I am now coming to the close of this year I have been evaluating what I have learned in the past two years. I have come so very far since the beginning of the apprenticeship program! When I came to Miracle Mountain Ranch two years ago I was self focused and trapped in my own little world. My vision was so very limited because I couldn't see past myself.
God has constantly pursued my heart unwilling to let me go. For the longest time I fought that pursuit growing up, turning to the world for comfort.... for an escape. It was easier to find instant release in a cigarette or in an angry out burst. My heart was arrogant enough to think that I didn't need God to get me through my life. However, God has changed my focus by teaching His truth to my heart.
It has been a slow and painful process... and far from being over. That is I have had to be willing to have my life broken before others. One of the main truths that God has taught my heart is that I have to be willing to be a living example of His work in my life. I could keep myself secluded from the world so as not to be embarrassed but what a waste of a life that would be. Christ came to not only save the world but to be a living example. Christ showed us how to serve others. That is truly what this life is about... serving others so that they may come face to face with their Savior. It is by how we live our lives that others are either drawn to or be pushed away from Christ.
Not so long ago I was out with some friends while I was at Miracle Mountain Ranch. While summer camp is running the summer staff have a curfew of 11 P.M. on the weekends. So we went to a town forty-five minutes away. We were at the Outback Steakhouse having a great time and not a one of us was concerned about the clock. So we ended up being about and hour late. The problem was not just that we were late but that we didn't even think of the man that was on weekend duty back at the Ranch. That person was responsible to make sure that we all made it back in safely. A couple of days later we were all called into a meeting with the Ranches executive director, the dean of students, and the staff member who had been on duty. They were not there to yell at us. We could have handled that and walked out just the same as we walked in. But they brought us in to encourage us with how much they believe in us and how much was behind our decision. Our decision not only affected us but everyone around us. This is because when we make decision that aren't really that great and do not deal with it we become calloused and inattentive to voice of God. If I am calloused to God then I cannot hear the subtle promptings of Christ. That is how I miss the opportunities to share Christ or I miss a caution about something that could push someone away from Christ.
That is just one of the ways that God is shaping my heart into something that is usable to Him. That truth is so astounding to me. The fact that God is willing to continue to shape me despite the fact that I am flawed. It is hard to grasp such love and often times hard to accept. the love of God leaves fingerprints on our live for others so see and be encourage by. These are thee truths that I have been challenged to share by those around me. It is because of their example that I am encouraged to live a life that impacts those around me because God is able to use me! I so blessed to have my life used in such a way. A tool in the Hands of the Master!
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