One of those "moments."

I have heard it said many times that life is a series of moments.  In my own life, I continue to find this to be a reality.  I have found that in mere moments, God has revealed truths to me that have liberated and renewed me.  Today, I experienced one of these moments.

My moment has a name, her name is Emily.  She is this beautiful, blonde haired, inspiring woman.  We briefly met for about five minutes after a service at FOS (that is the name of the youth group I am interning at).  We both later discovered that we had shared this instant "attraction" to one another.  Do you know what I am talking about?  It was almost as if she knew something I needed to know.

Interestingly enough, I almost allowed "busyness" to rob me of meeting with this incredible person.  This can be so typical of me, especially because I can become so consumed with what it is that I am doing that I forget that God may just be wanting to interrupt my agenda once in a while!  So, earlier this morning, Melissa, Pastor Andrew's assistant, noticed that I had a post-it stuck to my notebook with Emily's name written on it.  Melissa immediately looks at me and says, "Ally, you need to meet with Emily for a coffee date before you leave here."  Melissa is one of those respected people that when she speaks, you listen.  The phone call led to a coffee date, which now brings me to my computer, composing my thoughts about this awesome experience I just had.

Ya know, God just amazes me.  I continually stand in awe.  I mean, how He orchestrates and interconnects lives... it's fantastic.  We had an hour and fifteen minutes to get to know one another when we sat down at our picturesque table that was conveniently leaning against the wide glass window in Barnes and Noble.  It was almost as if the conversation never actually began, it just was.  Immediately we shared the depths of our hearts and connected in a way that could never possibly be forced.  It was like God just said, "Here is a friend.  She will understand the struggles that rage war within your soul and she will recognize your gifts and affirm them because I have designed you two this way and brought you to this place in your lives so that you might learn from one another."

As Emily shared her most recent struggles and victories, God began to remind me of mine as well.  This moment with her affirmed who He has called me to be in a way that years of introspection and pursuit of opportunities never could have.  She allowed God to be glorified through her as she sat in that small wooden chair, and I was reminded of His faithfulness and of my purpose.  How amazing is that? That the God of this universe would care to position two lives together in Olympia, WA in order to refute the lies of the wicked one and to further His kingdom.  And that is exactly what happened.

In that one hour together, light was shone on deception that had been blinding me for days.  I had recently been struggling with the need to figure out what exactly God was doing with my life (good grief, is that even possible?).  I had been questioning whether or not my "gifts" were really gifts.  Inwardly, I had been rejecting and despising God's call on my life and the passions He has placed within me.  Yet, this girl Emily knew exactly what I had been battling because she has been there and continues to "work out her salvation with fear and trembling."

If you are reading this, I pray that God gives you eyes to see the moments that He orchestrates in your life.  He is always looking to heal us and restore us to Himself.  Never allow yourself to stay in one place too long... especially if that place is filled with shame, guilt, and regret.  Call it out.  Confess it.  Let His Word expose the lies that you are believing and move on.  There is no time to waste.  He wants to set you free so that you can inspire others to do the same.