Not Forgotten: It's a Wonderful Life

“At the heart of Satan’s attack upon you is his attempt to rob you of your true identity and destiny.”

-Neal Lozano, Unbound

My last blog post was an attempt to regain parts of me that I feel I have lost. Satan had done well in distracting me from receiving God’s full blessing. It’s a truth I had known, but not really understood until I read Unbound by Neal Lozano. “God wants to bless you much more than you desire to be blessed. Allow yourself to receive from Him.” Really? Is it really that easy? It was actually very, very difficult for me to write my last blog and ask people for help and ask for specific things/items/donations, etc. But isn’t that exactly what God wants of us? To ASK specifically? Bruce Wilkinson says it this way: “When we ask for God’s blessing, we’re not asking for more of what we can get for ourselves. We are crying out for the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know about or give us.”

Wow. I have received in FULL this “wonderful, unlimited goodness” of God through His people. In the course of 25 days, God has “surrounded me with love and compassion” and “filled my days with good things” (Ps 103:4-5). Every day that I have been home, I have been blessed by someone. I feel so overwhelmed and undeserving of such love.

One day, Marissa, a college bestie, drove a couple hours just to meet me for lunch. “I have a present for you,” she told me while we were out to lunch at Cracker Barrel. A present, she had said, when just her presence was enough. But when she came back inside, she didn’t have “a present,” she carried a laundry basket full of presents in her arms! She gave them to me one by one, and as I unwrapped these presents, I couldn’t stop the tears that I tried to fight. What moved me most was reading all the names on the card of who contributed to the gifts. Truly amazing. Marissa had contacted a whole crew of people who went to UW-L with me, and together they were able to raise enough money to support part of my housing fund as well as buy major items on my wish list, including thoughtful gifts like NFL ticket, cooking items to buy in Swazi, and a new Macbook Air!

A friend who contributed to these gifts wrote a message telling me it reminded her of the last scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where all sorts of people came to help George Bailey. When I watched the movie (which I used to do every year), I cried. God wants to bless us, we just need to ask.

I asked, and I received. I received every major item on my list from my last post, and in addition, my housing need for 2016 is fully funded! The most amazing surprise is that the overwhelming support came from both acquaintances and friends—from high school, college, and career connections—like donations from a couple students, Rachel Howe and Katie Shepardson, a surprise package from a high school acquaintance, Brianna Lynch, who I had no idea followed my blog, a set of Christian fiction books and financial support from my mom’s co-workers, the biggest donation I’ve ever personally received from my own co-worker (the Kreutzmans) at La Crescent High School, some supporters who don’t even know me, and so many more!

I am so filled. I am so humbled. I am SO full of joy! I recently skyped with my friend Chris who lives in Ecuador and when he first saw me on the video, he immediately commented, “Wow, you look great and so lively. So full of joy!” (And he knew NOTHING of what has happened to me these past two weeks.)

Indeed, I am so full of joy! And it came from my three day retreat at a convent where I spent my days in prayer and reflection, letting Jesus love me and fill me. Thank you all for restoring in me the spirit of joy. For reminding me that my identity is not tied to what I do, but who I am. Thank you for preventing Satan from robbing me of my identity as a daughter of the King, a beloved whom God genuinely desires to bless. God, my good, good Father, you are Enough for me. (Listen to the song here: Good Good Father)

So, 2016, thanks to all of you—my army, my victors, my givers—I am now ready for you! (I fly back to Swazi January 1^st!)

"That he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in you hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

-Ephesians 3:16-19