Altogether, this past year was a whirlwind, let alone the past three months. The events I so anticipated have now come and gone and so begins the mental preparation for a brief wind down before starting the fall semester of senior year. As I reflect on this summer, so many smiles come to my face.
This summer, I took 2 very different, but strikingly similar retail jobs. One at Ann Taylor, one at Lush Cosmetics. I work over 50 hours a week between my two jobs, all the while finding some peace in the organized chaos. However, there have been shifts I've worked purely exhausted, not wanting to do my work, waiting for the hands of the clock to move. One thing my coworkers have noticed and pointed out to me: my joy in doing work. During all of those exhausting shifts, I helped customers with a real smile on my face. Nothing forced or over-done, but pure love and patience in serving our clients. I'm not trying to put my actions on a pedestal for model behavior, but patience and love were some of my goals this summer. So when my manager told me she was impressed by my patience and my sales lead reminds me that I am super knowledgeable, I'm a little proud. It's a lot of my own hard work, yes, but I wouldn't have had this transformation without The Lord. I was reminded of one verse while having my chair time one morning: Colossians 3:23: work as if you are serving The Lord. Mother Theresa once said that everyone you encounter is really Jesus in disguise. Even though that hasn't always been my first thought at work, it's certainly come in handy when dealing with unpleasant situations. Retail can be a challenge, but it has been a blessing and honor being able to do this work.
Sandblast 2014 were the four days that bring me the most joy! I am full of thanksgiving just remembering all that God did that weekend; the community that was created, the students that received salvation, the way 2,000+ young people worshiped The Lord together!!! It was an amazing time: purely indescribably joy. For the sake of the Kingdom, I gladly left the comforts of a group I know well to serve with a new team, wear a new color, and lead new students. At first, there was heartache and a mild case of FOMO. But after the first house group meeting, I realized the kids I had been placed in community with were beyond amazing. These students took Jesus' example of love and truly lived it.
And don't even get me started on my small group. By some great act of God, I had been assigned to lead the junior girls at Dupage. The other leaders warned me about the girls, but found myself excited for the opportunity placed in front of me. At first it was a challenge. I have a confession to make: I have no idea what I'm doing! There's no set way to lead a small group and there sure is no perfect way to build community within a group of 15-16 year old girls. It's all God: He gives me the words to say. I am merely a messenger of grace. Watching how He took these girls and made them inseparable was heartwarming. Each of my girls are absolutely unique and precious: but by God's goodness I claim them as mine. They are my six, and I will be there for them even when I am not present physically. The way that God has woven our lives together amazes me.
Which brings me to something that God has laid heavy on my heart. While I am expecting to go into a living hell next year producing my senior collection, I have to wonder what it's going to look like when it's over. It may be strange to think about the ending even before the beginning, but I'm curious. After college, it's over. There's no more school. From September to May, for the entirety of my life, that has been the one constant I can expect. What happens when it's all over? May 9, 2015 I will walk across a stage to be handed a document saying that I have completed all of the requirements other people expect of me. Where will I go next? What am I going to do with myself? It's kind of daunting to think that I could, in reality, go anywhere and do anything. However, this summer has stirred something in me that I am going to be praying through next year:
What would it look like to stay in the Chicago area for a few years?
I know, I know. That's not "the plan." "The plan" was to graduate college and move immediately to NYC. Maybe do some couch surfing until I land a cheap apartment and a decent design job. Which would, in essence, fulfill what I had deemed my "career path" my senior year of high school when I enrolled in a fashion design program. But I think God's calling me to more. There's something greater for me than the mundane everyday. What if God wants me to dedicate myself to this ministry a little longer? Even though it's been a short time, I dedicated myself to building up a community; not just my six girls but also this body of students. I think God has a different plan for me, and His plan is the master plan. It's the path I'm on.
As I said, it's something that I'm going to be praying through a lot next year. What would it look like to graduate my girls and lead them up to their college experience? What would it look like to then lead an entire house group? What would my "career" look like? I have many questions but God is igniting a new fire in me: I will not ignore the Spirit inside.
Thank you for enduring this post. I feel like I say that I lot because I don't keep up as well as I should on here and every post turns into a full chapter of Mabel's Life Story. I just wanted to give a few updates of events that have past, thoughts that are new, and God's current workings in my life. I hope this post brought you as much joy to read as it did for me to write. I am so excited about all of the things God is doing and I have a joyful hope about what is yet to come!!!! I want you to leave encouraged, so I think it's fitting to leave you with these words that I spoke my senior year of high school to my swim team:
This summer, I took 2 very different, but strikingly similar retail jobs. One at Ann Taylor, one at Lush Cosmetics. I work over 50 hours a week between my two jobs, all the while finding some peace in the organized chaos. However, there have been shifts I've worked purely exhausted, not wanting to do my work, waiting for the hands of the clock to move. One thing my coworkers have noticed and pointed out to me: my joy in doing work. During all of those exhausting shifts, I helped customers with a real smile on my face. Nothing forced or over-done, but pure love and patience in serving our clients. I'm not trying to put my actions on a pedestal for model behavior, but patience and love were some of my goals this summer. So when my manager told me she was impressed by my patience and my sales lead reminds me that I am super knowledgeable, I'm a little proud. It's a lot of my own hard work, yes, but I wouldn't have had this transformation without The Lord. I was reminded of one verse while having my chair time one morning: Colossians 3:23: work as if you are serving The Lord. Mother Theresa once said that everyone you encounter is really Jesus in disguise. Even though that hasn't always been my first thought at work, it's certainly come in handy when dealing with unpleasant situations. Retail can be a challenge, but it has been a blessing and honor being able to do this work.
Sandblast 2014 were the four days that bring me the most joy! I am full of thanksgiving just remembering all that God did that weekend; the community that was created, the students that received salvation, the way 2,000+ young people worshiped The Lord together!!! It was an amazing time: purely indescribably joy. For the sake of the Kingdom, I gladly left the comforts of a group I know well to serve with a new team, wear a new color, and lead new students. At first, there was heartache and a mild case of FOMO. But after the first house group meeting, I realized the kids I had been placed in community with were beyond amazing. These students took Jesus' example of love and truly lived it.
And don't even get me started on my small group. By some great act of God, I had been assigned to lead the junior girls at Dupage. The other leaders warned me about the girls, but found myself excited for the opportunity placed in front of me. At first it was a challenge. I have a confession to make: I have no idea what I'm doing! There's no set way to lead a small group and there sure is no perfect way to build community within a group of 15-16 year old girls. It's all God: He gives me the words to say. I am merely a messenger of grace. Watching how He took these girls and made them inseparable was heartwarming. Each of my girls are absolutely unique and precious: but by God's goodness I claim them as mine. They are my six, and I will be there for them even when I am not present physically. The way that God has woven our lives together amazes me.
Which brings me to something that God has laid heavy on my heart. While I am expecting to go into a living hell next year producing my senior collection, I have to wonder what it's going to look like when it's over. It may be strange to think about the ending even before the beginning, but I'm curious. After college, it's over. There's no more school. From September to May, for the entirety of my life, that has been the one constant I can expect. What happens when it's all over? May 9, 2015 I will walk across a stage to be handed a document saying that I have completed all of the requirements other people expect of me. Where will I go next? What am I going to do with myself? It's kind of daunting to think that I could, in reality, go anywhere and do anything. However, this summer has stirred something in me that I am going to be praying through next year:
What would it look like to stay in the Chicago area for a few years?
I know, I know. That's not "the plan." "The plan" was to graduate college and move immediately to NYC. Maybe do some couch surfing until I land a cheap apartment and a decent design job. Which would, in essence, fulfill what I had deemed my "career path" my senior year of high school when I enrolled in a fashion design program. But I think God's calling me to more. There's something greater for me than the mundane everyday. What if God wants me to dedicate myself to this ministry a little longer? Even though it's been a short time, I dedicated myself to building up a community; not just my six girls but also this body of students. I think God has a different plan for me, and His plan is the master plan. It's the path I'm on.
As I said, it's something that I'm going to be praying through a lot next year. What would it look like to graduate my girls and lead them up to their college experience? What would it look like to then lead an entire house group? What would my "career" look like? I have many questions but God is igniting a new fire in me: I will not ignore the Spirit inside.
Thank you for enduring this post. I feel like I say that I lot because I don't keep up as well as I should on here and every post turns into a full chapter of Mabel's Life Story. I just wanted to give a few updates of events that have past, thoughts that are new, and God's current workings in my life. I hope this post brought you as much joy to read as it did for me to write. I am so excited about all of the things God is doing and I have a joyful hope about what is yet to come!!!! I want you to leave encouraged, so I think it's fitting to leave you with these words that I spoke my senior year of high school to my swim team:
Get out of your comfort zone!!!
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