Why I am Going (Video)

I believe in surrounding myself with people who are better than me. I believe in having specific people in my life who will challenge me, encourage me and hold me accountable to becoming a more Godly woman. I believe my life is greater than a 9-5 job, microwave dinners and weekly TV shows. I am not here to survive this life, but to use the life I am blessed with to further the Kingdom. That includes investing in myself now so I can better invest in others later, emulating God to a higher degree.
As Christ followers we are called beyond the ordinary, we are called to push deeper, and we are called to think greater. Fear and doubt stop us, but what if we were surrounded by a community where fear and doubt could not thrive? What would we do then?

I am excited to explore this and I know just the quaint town in Spain with an excellent community in order to do so.

     

              So… Question, Why am I doing this?

                     It is simple, I am called to be more like Christ.

Spirit of… from Tara Stephenson on Vimeo.

 

Second Guessing This Thing…

 Here we go again with the doubt. Is it ever ending? Will I ever learn to trust and then be content? Why do I put up a fight sometimes like a three year old? These past few months of being home have been quite luxurious compared to the Race. I have enjoyed telling people that I will be going to Spain, but now that life is developing here in America it is getting hard to imagine leaving these comforts. What is even harder is putting my nursing career on hold until I am back in the States again, because I badly want to begin that phase of my life.

     All in all, I love America and I think it is the best country in the world and where I want to settle down. We are spoiled daily. I am safe, I can understand the language, I can eat Mexican food and I have eight different flavors of K-cups to choose from each morning (not to mention the Pumpkin Spice and Mocha creamers chilling in the fridge!) Our health care is reliable and hospitals are not places people simply come to die.

So MY new reality is that I now live in comfort, I have a secure Christian bubble, I am back to living on a schedule that I control and I don’t want to give that up even for a place as nice sounding as Southern Spain where adult nap time is a real thing. Call me selfish, but I think if we all examine our own hearts we will find pieces in there that are shouting the same chant.

     Really, who wants to be uncomfortable? Who wants to be immersed in an environment where everything is foreign and on top of that to have your deepest beliefs challenged daily? Who wants to live in a community with accountability and have feedback regularly? Bueller… Bueller…

     Although I may not want to leave my comforts and security that is exactly what God at times calls me to do. This is not a pity party, this is a call of obedience. Will I go when God calls or pretend to not hear Him? This is what shapes our walk with Christ, Trust. Ironically enough Trust is also the word I chose to rely on coming home from the Race. I trusted Him to provide a job and I got two, I trusted Him to give me a Christian friend or two and I got a community, I trusted Him to provide for my family and now we own our own shop and I trusted Him with the direction of my future and… I got G42.

     This past week in a half has been impactful for many reasons, but the largest is because I was awoken from a closed hand to laying it all out before the Lord again. What an important frame of mind to live in. God is merciful and will forgive me for kicking and screaming along the way (although, I am not condoning this, it’s robbing me of joy!), but what ultimately matters is if I answer the calling. God spoke to me through Proverbs 3:5-6.

I encourage you to write it on your hearts as well.

Stay tuned because in two months we are headed to Spain!

Photo Credit: http://xiphos71.deviantart.com/art/Proverbs-3-5-6-372467622