This week our topic for classes has been "Relationships." It is being taught by our DTS director, Jeremy, and his wife, Keeley. They are quite the dynamic duo, and listening to their testimony has been awesome. It is cool to hear their heart, to know how they've walked with God in their life, and how God has really shown himself faithful and loving. They are a precious couple, and I found myself hanging on their every word as they shared.
Then, yesterday in class they gave all of us students an assignment of sorts. We were to pray about giving a gift(s) of some kind to one of the DTS students or staff members, and we were going to give them to the person during the following morning class session. The idea was that in giving we bless others and also find ourselves blessed as well. In seeking God's guidance, we could minister to others in our little community here with a simple gift. As Jeremy was giving some examples and explaining in more detail the idea behind our assignment, I knew who I was going to give to and what I was going to give.
One of my roommates suffered sexual abuse during her younger years, and has been profoundly scarred by that. God has been doing a huge work in her heart and life since she has been here, and it has been amazing to watch her open her heart and life to God and to just blossom into this beautiful woman of power and compassion and tenderness. She was the one who God immediately placed on my heart. My next thought was of the book "Redeeming Love," which is a beautiful fictional story based on the book of Hosea. It is a story of obedience to God, relentless love, overwhelming grace, and passionate pursuit. I had brought up the book before in conversation with her, and she said that she thought she would really like to read a book like that.
Also a couple days ago a few of our roommates were having a conversation about our fears and worries about relationships and marriage in the future. This girl had confessed she felt that she wanted to be in relationship with a man who was pure, even though she wasn't, but she didn't think she could ask that of someone, because she wasn't worth the love of a man who was pure. Satan was still peddling his lies of worthlessness, dirtiness, and impurity to her. But I see her so much differently. And so does God. All I see when I look at her is beauty- inside and out. This girl has a huge heart. She is so genuine, and has immense enthusiasm. She is just a complete joy to be around. I wanted to be able to communicate to her that she WAS worthy of a pure man, and that she had immeasurable worth as a daughter of the King. I wanted that book to show her the immensity of God's love and his relentless pursuit of her, and to also communicate to her that God could write her an amazing, beautiful, and romantic love story; her past does not define her, nor does it define her future.
When I gave her the gift, she teared up, thanking me with such sincerity that I felt it in my bones. She told me later that she couldn't wait to read the book. It was such a wonderful feeling to be used a vessel to minister God's love and truth to her, and also to share one of my passions with her (reading). In giving, God also blessed me.
We spent two hours of our morning giving gifts to one another, explaining how and why we had chosen our specific gifts, and then also praying over and blessing one another. It was so extremely moving (there were lots of people tearing up throughout the whole thing), and it was an enormous encouragement to everyone in the room. Everyone left that session feeling incredibly blessed.
"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Luke 6:38
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