Of Gratitude
I’ve been overwhelmed by the very heart inside of my chest,
A heart that is found swelling with an eager spirit,
feeling the nervous anticipation that I know all too well.
One that is found in the waiting.
I sense a looming year of ministry on the horizon,
I sense the weight of fundraising a year’s worth of salary for the sake of providing a space for teenagers to encounter the living God.
Notice how I share with you what I can sense,
rather than what I can see.
But I have been reminded,
It is by faith that I walk, not by sight.
[2 Corinthians 5:7]
But this heart,
this spirit,
It has been captivated by your stories.
Overwhelmed by your generosity.
Encouraged by your support.
Humbled by your prayers.
And consoled by your trust in the Spirit of God at work in our lives.
More than your initial kindness handed to me like a gift wrapped in the most elegant bow,
I find myself overwhelmed by this heart of gratitude found in my very chest:
Beating,
Thumping,
Sustaining my every breath.
My anatomical reactions to your support towards me has surprised me, befuddled me, and yet, met me with the purest form of abundant delight.
This Heart of Gratitude has a new reason to beat,
for it has been entrusted by your gifts of generosity.
I have found within myself a new fire,
one that seeks to shout from the rooftops how good is our God!
This spirit burns within me like an unquenchable flame,
fanned with fervor and zeal into something that only seems to grow with time.
He has used YOU, friend, as a vessel of His very heart,
One that aches with His people, [John 11:35]
Bleeds for His people, [John 19:34]
and more than anything,
Deeply loves His people. [John 3:16]
You see, that’s the very beauty of the Christian Life. We have been handed the gift of hope through Christ’s death and resurrection. He has only just begun.
It’s one of my favorite lines recited in the Nicene Creed every Sunday at Mass:
“For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Here it is, layed out before our very eyes.
He is a God of His promises, and He is just getting started.
He is who He says He is.
He is not holding out on you,
rather,
He is working in the waiting.
So,
Friends,
Family,
Thank you.
Thank you for your financial support and intercessory prayer as I embark on this journey of a Formational Mission Year with Life Teen. Thank you for entrusting me with the mission of “Leading Teens Closer to Christ.” Thank you for allowing me to be your advocate, spreading the light of the Gospel to God’s children made present to me in ways I could never be deserving of. It is solely by God’s grace and by your participation in this mission that my ministry will be possible.
Tears stream down my face as I consider the great things He has done for me through the vessel of you all.
Our God is Love Incarnate.
His goodness is ever-expanding and ever-surpassing any label we could ever place on Him.
How could it be that we have a God who dines with us,
weeps with us,
rejoices with us,
prays with us,
and enters into the human condition with us
all so that we may never feel forsaken?
May we rest in confidence knowing that the God of the Universe is for us and not against us.
His Spirit is alive within us,
and He has the POWER to save us, redeem us, set us free, and call us Home.
Friends,
there is much work to do.
But be encouraged.
How could we not rejoice?
In Christ,
Emma
