The Heart of a Hungry One

I got this email from one of my participants that went with me to Moz this summer.  I think she wrote it in the wee hours of the morning, back in her dorm room in CO.  I love it when I get to see glimpses of how God is still working in the lives of people I have shared in growth and ministry with.  Amie is the joy of the Lord personified.  She loves delighting in Him and the things He has made.  This gives her a unique and compassionate heart for God’s people.  She walked into every new situation we were put in with an open heart and open arms-and as she entered into the lives of people, she was embraced fully-and welcomed into their family.  It was a beautiful picture of God’s kingdom.
Now that she is back home and responding to the things God began to show her this summer, the good work He began is still being carried to completion (Phil 1:6).  This email was refreshing to my spirit and confirmed to me that He is still working out His plan in us all-in a very unique way.

Amie, I see God’s hand all over your life right now!  Keep going after His Kingdom.  Keep stepping out and believing.  In Him is fullness of joy, right?  TRUST FALL;)

 

I have this ache. This longing. This deep, passionate, hurt
inside of me. It seems strange to most. I guess it could best be described as
hungry. Hungry for more and more of the Spirit working in my life. I have never
fully experienced what it really means to be completely physically starving but
I can say from others I have met that it is an intense feeling. Hunger.
Starvation rather, is a term that we so loosely use; just like the word love.
True starvation is great pain, a deprived and weak body, and not just some
college boy who has not had his pizza for the day.

But to the point:

I have been feeling two very strong things recently.

The first: being stuck. Claustrophobic even. Stuck in
America, stuck at school, stuck in my room. I sometimes feel like I can’t even
breathe outside. Part of it is because America has lost all hope of being a
place of simplicity and peace. It’s full of noise, visual and auditory noises.
I walk outside for fresh air and the first thing that happens is I run into a
mob of people who, because of their business, have lost all ability to have a
pleasant conversation. Nobody says hi. People don’t even smile anymore. These
lives are consumed by day-to-day hassles: class, making money, shopping, you
name it… I have noticed that even things like picking out our clothes in the
morning is something that causes business, in our heads and in our time. I have
realized however that it is not just America I feel stuck in. It is this world.
The truth of the matter is, that’s ok. We are supposed to feel stuck here. This
isn’t our home. I am passionately in love with Jesus Christ! I am so excited to
spend all of my days in His kingdom! I am homesick for heaven.

Which brings me to my next point:

Though I am starving for heaven.
Yearning to spend time constantly praising the Lord, I also have a massive
passion for the people on this earth. Jesus Christ, a perfect, sinless man was
battered and beaten, tortured more than anyone can express. All because He
loves us. Our God, our Father, our Savior, had nails pounded through His hands
because He loves us and yet we find it so hard to show Him love back. This is a
gift that is greater than any other. His forgiveness is something that can
barely be described and it’s free. You hear that? FREE! There is absolutely
nothing we can do to earn that Love. It’s just there and all we have to do is
accept it. What a beautiful thing! Thank you Jesus for GRACE!

My greatest desire is to enjoy God
in every way possible! And because He has filled me to the max with joy, I am
overflowing! I just want everyone to experience the same thing. It’s not about
spreading the His name because I feel like I have to. It’s about wanting
everyone to recognize that they too have a God that loves them more than anyone
or anything else ever could. Why not bask in that freedom and love?

The other day I saw some elderly
people standing on the side of the road with signs saying things like “Honk if
you want PEACE,” “America needs peace!” The drivers around me loudly began
honking their car horns, people hooted and hollered for peace. Political peace
that is. I sat in the lane at the stoplight and I immediately began weeping.
Weeping for these people I don’t even know. But my God knows them, He knows
more about them than they even do. Scripture says he even knows the number of
hairs on their head. I wept because I know where peace can be found. The only
Peace, the only Truth, the One True Love is Jesus. He and He alone is where
peace is ultimately found. There is no greater Freedom than that which comes
with being best friends with Jesus, putting all hope and faith in Jesus. There
are people out there who have never heard His name; which is why being in
school is so hard at times.

The point is: I know this guy named
Jesus and if you know Him, I am so blessed to be your sister. If you want to
know Him, tell Him. If you don’t want anything to do with Him, just know that
He wants to have everything to do with you, in fact He already does, you just
might not recognize it yet. He loves you! Oh how He loves you! I am His and I
want everyone to know Him and experience the greatest things possible!