you can do this.

You can do it. I swear you can. You can make it through whatever you’re struggling with. We’re all fighting our own battles. And we all have those days when we think we’re losing. But we’re not. Because we’ve had the word redemption written upon our present, past, and future. God etched the word winner across your heart. I know it’s hard. Because some days I’m right there with you. But we can do this. We can beat everything that threatens us. We can persevere through everything that tries to stop us. We can turn every single tear we shed into joy. I swear it. We’re capable of more than we think we are. Our bodies and our minds and our hearts are stronger than we could ever have believed. And that strength becomes evident in the moments when we become convinced that we cannot take another step forward.

Those moments when you want to stop? Keep going. You can do it. Tell yourself that. I can do it. I can make it through this day. Every step I take brings me one step closer to the place God wants me to. Every challenge I face makes me that much stronger. Even the ones that cause me to fall. I can rise. I can get back up right now with a smile on my face and make this day better. I can be stronger.

Believe in yourself. You have every reason to. The King of Kings is on your side. The Author of Life has yours in his hands. The Prince of Peace seeks to calm the storms in your life. And, above all, His spirit resides in your heart. You have strength you cannot even imagine. Because it is strength that doesn’t belong to you. You are of God. And God is limitless. Believe in yourself. I promise you can do this.

 

“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.  He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.” Psalm 107:19-21

cassie- teen acts 2014.

Dear Cassie,

Did you know that you’re my hero? I know this isn’t the typical way to write a Love Letter for Teen ACTS, but you aren’t really the typical teenage girl so I figured it would work. I think you’re one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met. You’re love for God is incredible. But even more incredible is the way you express it and make it evident to those around you. You can tell people exactly how you feel about things without speaking a single word. It’s like them minute you lift that camera up you have the ability to show everyone a whole new world. A world through the eyes of Christ. You make simple things extraordinary. Just like God does.

I love that you’re true to yourself. Even when you may be struggling with something. You do things your way. And you don’t worry too much about what people think. That’s incredible. It’s such an attractive quality for people to have. People who are unafraid to be themselves are beautiful. I heard this amazing quote a few days ago from a character in a movie. Coincidentally, he was a photographer also. He said, “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” I think that’s the perfect way to describe you. You don’t ask for attention, the way you live just attracts it.

I hope you know I love you to death. Even more than that. Because one day I hope we get to be angels together. I know I can be a junky friend sometimes because I get caught up in life and don’t do as good of a job at keeping up with you as I should. But I’m praying for you all the time. And I figure God must be hearing me because every day he shows people how you are that much more incredible than they could ever imagine.  You are the sweetest thing in the world. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown into the woman that God intended you to be. It’s hard to believe that just about four years ago I was meeting you at this very same retreat. Do you remember that? You were so shy. So soft spoken. But always showing that lion of a heart you have through the lens of your camera.  Don’t ever forget that even though you might be behind your camera, you’re in front of God’s. He’s showing you to the world at just the right angle so they see the incredible heart you have for him. It doesn’t matter where you are; you always shine through your surroundings. You’re the point of focus. God loves you and he’s walking right be your side.  You’re going to experience so many challenges and new things in life over the next few years, but he’s always your rock and your fortress- he’s your home, pretty girl.

I pray that God helps me to be a Cassie.

I love you forever,

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

the lessons in struggle and other daily musings.

My aunt brought up this really incredible concept to me yesterday that’s had my mind absolutely reeling. She mentioned that if we take whatever struggle we may be experiencing and look back to the events in our life that occurred prior to it we should be able to identify and isolate lessons that we learned earlier on that God specifically taught us that we might be prepared for this particular trial. Okay, can I just take a minute to say that I’m absolutely IN LOVE with this concept?!? And not only that, but I’m in love with the implications of this theory/ fact (depending on how you’d like to look at it). Because, if this was valid, wouldn’t it mean we could take the lessons we had already learned and lay the adjacent to our current situation in order to identify the lessons we were destined to learn once the conflict had been resolved? It’s almost like the concept of subtraction- you take the problem in its entirety, remove what is known, and work with what’s left.

We also god to talking about the pain of rejection. First off, there’s nothing like a conversation with your family to clarify those things which you don’t understand due to your youth. And this one was no exception. We discussed how the pain of rejection might very well be the most painful ailment we can experience emotionally. And that really got me thinking. Could all of our spiritual struggles not initially be reduced to the effects of perceived rejection? Take the death of a loved one, for example. Or illness. Or any sort of tragedy. So often what is our initial response as Christians? We want to know why God let our current struggle become a reality. How could he let this happen. We thought be loved us. And that’s exactly where it starts. Could our affliction not be seen as a misperception? That we feel as if we have been rejected from God’s love or protection or embrace as it was explained to us under perfect circumstances. That the fact that his own intentions do not line up with our own make us feel as if he has wronged us?

The pain of rejection is real. And it hurts so much because God didn’t intend for us to live in separation. We are called to community. Fellowship. Relationship. Love. Isn’t it appropriate that having an individual or a group of individuals isolate us from these concepts in conjunction with them would break our hearts. That seems very appropriate and expected to me. But there’s so much strength to be discovered in these struggles. There’s so much self-love to be cultivated in the aftermath of rejection. So much support to be given by the Lord.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious…” 1 Peter 2:4

a prayer for bonfire.

Dear God,

Thank you for granting us the opportunity to labor beneath the trees and bare one another’s burdens just as Jesus labored beneath the tree as he ascended the hill and bore the burden of sin for all of us in the ultimate act of love (Galatians 3:13).

 I pray that his example of selflessness is held as a goal in all of our hearts as we work alongside our crews (John 15:13). I pray that our labors, like that of Jesus’, enable us to experience the goodwill of others, understand the separation of Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven, understand the extent of our own physical capacities, challenge our faiths, reveal to us your love and the true nature of others, and, inevitably, allow us to live in communion with one another as well as bring us closer to building a covenant with you.

When we wind ourselves fatigued in the midst of prolonged labor, let us be reminded of Christ’s fatigue and the determination and faith that allowed him to persevere in pursuit of the destiny you set forth for him(Matthew 27:34, Isaiah 53:4-7).

Let us humble ourselves to the assistance of others just as Jesus humbled himself and accepted the help of Simon (Luke 23:26). Let our attention to each log be careful and thorough just as you attention is to each of your children (Zephaniah 3:17). And, as we slam them onto stack, let us take pride in the structure that’s come to represent us as a community just like you take pride every time you invite another one of your children into your Eternal Kingdom (Luke 23:43).

When bonfire is ablaze, let us reflect on the transformative nature of fire in the Bible and search for the ways in which we have been transformed throughout the season (2 Corinthians 5:17). Let us be reminded of the fact that our God is said to be a consuming fire as our attention is consumed by the flames transforming bark and wire into ash (Hebrews 12:29).

As our desire is made manifest and apparent to others, let your love be made likewise in ourselves and in our friends (1 John 4:9). As smoke ascends into the night’s sky, let us refocus our lives that they might be lived in such a way that deems us worthy of ascending into your embrace. And, when all that is left of our season and our labor is ash, let us remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). Let the memories and stories of where we’ve come from inspire where we hope to go.

I love you forever,

Erin (S.A.S, LL ’16)

(Brian Kim Studio)

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…” Romans 12:10