Jesus Is Enough….More Than Enough

Last night, Kevin and I, along with 4 other leaders, shared with the students at youth group. It was really neat to get to hear from so many of the leaders – I got to hear some of the details of their teenage years as well as how the Lord grabbed a hold of their hearts. I love hearing how God is at work in the lives of others.

To help me sort through some of my thoughts, I actually wrote out some things that I wanted to share. I didn’t read through the entire thing, but tried to just use it as a reference in case I started rambling or the opposite, totally blanked. I’m definitely not a huge fan of public speaking, so I’m never sure how I’ll handle it.

I thought I’d share the with you all what I shared with the students last night. Maybe you’ll learn a little more about me in the process.

1. Share briefly about yourself.
– I was born in Durham, NC and then moved to Baltimore, MD when I was 10. It was one of the hardest things I had to do as a child. It was like moving to a totally different country.
– I have 1 older sister. In many ways, she was like a second mom when I was young. She has fiery red hair and had the personality to go with it.
– I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I like to do home improvement projects and decorate, when I have the time and money. My home is one of the things I’m most proud of – it has been a work in progress for 5 years and we’ve done a ton of work on it.
– I love watching romance movies or musicals. I like a good comedy and drama, but I always come back to my chick flicks. My favorite is probably Pride and Prejudice. I love country music and Christian music. Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood are probably my favorite country groups. I am getting back into Christian music recently – I overdosed a little on it while in college, so I’m enjoying learning the new artists.

2. Share one of your best, hardest, most embarrassing, or funniest memories as a teenager.
– My most embarrassing moment was during middle school when I was standing outside of the school waiting for the morning bell to ring. I was waiting outside with my friends when a bird flying overhead decided to “relieve itself” right on my white shirt. I had to go all day with bird poop on my shirt.
– I loved high school. I was a good student and very involved in activities and clubs. I played basketball for a few years, sang in the choir, twirled a flag in the marching band, and was in the musicals. I loved being active and involved.
– The hardest part of my teenage years was loneliness. I had friends, but I often felt very alone in my walk with the Lord during the week at school.

3. Share how God gripped your heart to live for him. How the Lordship of Christ became real in my life.
– I accepted Christ when I was about 7 years old. I started to understand what it meant to live for Christ when I was a junior or senior in high school. This was when the Lord really grabbed hold of me. I began to learn that being a Christian is not just about being saved from hell, but it’s also about a relationship with God. I began a quiet time and was anxious to learn all I could. In college, I continued to grow and got active in ministry on campus. The Lord really gave me a heart for the lost and I was anxious to share the gospel with others. I was active in a Christian fellowship on campus, but then decided to join a sorority my sophomore year to minister to girls in the Greek system. It was an awesome time of spiritual growth and was exciting to participate in what God was doing on campus.

– I’m so grateful for the ways that the Lord grew me during those years. In many ways, I believe it prepared me for living out my faith in the “real” world as an adult. After graduating from college, it became more difficult to put God first in my day. I had a full time job that required my focus and attention and I didn’t have the flexible schedule that I had in college. It was harder to choose to spend time with God now that I was out in the real world.

– In past couple of years, I’ve continued to come to grips with the Lordship of Christ. About 2 and a half years ago, Kevin and I began trying to have children. It didn’t come easy for us, but we were thrilled when we conceived our first son just over a year ago. We felt so blessed that God would allow this little boy to be part of his plan for our lives. As many of you know, that pregnancy didn’t end as we had hoped. We lost our son, Andrew, in August, just a week before he was due. In these past few months, my faith has been tested like I could have never imagined. I have had to trust in the Lordship of Christ like never before. Now, almost 6 months after the death of our son, Kevin and are still trusting the Lord as we desire to grow our earthly family. We know he has good plans for us, and we are clinging to that promise, not knowing what the outcome will be. When I began praying about what to share with you all, the phrase that came to mind over and over again was “Jesus is enough.” I have been blessed so much in my life, and it is so easy to fall victim to loving the Lord because of what he has given us rather than simple because of who he is. It is so easy for me to trust the Lord when all is going right in our lives. Lately, I have had to trust that Jesus is enough during this time when all is not going according to our plan. I’m thankful that Jesus truly is Lord over my life and that all that has happened this past year has not come as a surprise to him. In many ways, I feel like the Lord has stripped me of everything except him. It’s forcing me to find my joy in him alone, and not all the other things we are so easily distracted by. This year has taught me how to praise the Lord because of who he is, no matter the circumstances.

– I would like to encourage all of you to commit to the Lord at this time in your lives. If you’re not spending much time in the word, I’d encourage you to get in the habit now. If you’re not participating in what God is doing in the world around you, I’d encourage you to get involved now. Learn all you can about the Lord who loved you enough to send his son to die for your eternal salvation. It’s so important to develop deep roots in Christ now so that you are prepared when the storms come. When your foundation is built on Christ, you cannot be moved.