FULLY EQUIPPED

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

It has been a while since I wrote anything. Not because I haven’t had the time to or felt like it, but because I have felt like what I had to say was still incomplete. In November of 2021 my grandmother died and I really felt like I had the perfect memoir to write, chronicling all the ways that her life impacted mine, but I could not find the words. Then this past spring, I was going through a lot as I was wrapping up my last semester of college and trying to figure out what my next steps were. I learned so much during that time, but I just kept feeling like it was not the right time. Now I don’t know that there ever is a right time, but I have found words.

Although I have not realized it until now, the theme that has been consistent these past few months has been God’s faithfulness. Not to say that he hasn’t always been faithful, it just feels like things have seemed to fall into place recently. For me, it is a lot easier to recognize God’s faithfulness through tangible experiences. I feel like I have experienced such a wide range of emotions from grief to pain to joy and contentment. Every step of the way I have felt the goodness of God and have felt so blessed to have experienced this during this time.

As I have looked back on all the things that have happened, things are beginning to connect for me. I have come to see how many of those hard moments in my life have equipped me for things that I am experiencing today. I am so very grateful for all of the experiences that God has used to equip me for the path that He has laid out for me.

I think about how faithful He was to provide me with such a wonderful grandmother. I am grateful that I was able to sit and watch as she faithfully served her family and others. I truly felt like I had one of the best examples of who a Godly woman is, what it looks like to be a true servant, and know how it feels to be sacrificially loved by someone. I could go on and on about the impact that she had and continues to have on my life because I see it in the little details of everyday.

I think about how how difficult middle school and moving to a new town was for me. Those hard moments in my life have helped me relate to the seventh grade students I get to work with each day. I think about how no tear was ever wasted because I learned from those moments.

I think about how much work college was, but recognize that all of that work was worth it. Good things take time and a lot of work.

I think about how difficult it was to work 30+ hours a week, attend college, and maintain a social life. However, I see the time management, organizational, and people skills I gained.

We are in control of how we see use our past experiences. We have the opportunity each day to either dwell on the things that have happened to us or learn from our experiences. I truly believe that God has fully equipped us for each situation we encounter. I believe that He has a plan and is working for our good. It takes a lot of courage to trust and blindly step out in faith each day, but I am confident that He provides, equips, and most of all loves.