I attended my Bible Study for the last time today. I am sad that I will not be able to go anymore now that I am student teaching. The ladies in that group are so unique and special. Each one of them has a special thing they bring to the group: humor, gentleness, wisdom, hospitality, support, encouragement...the list goes on and on. Tracy (the group leader and wife of the church's pastor) was sure to share these things with each of us. Over Christmas break she wrote out a list of the things she appreciates about each woman in the group and she shared them aloud for all to hear. It was so nice to hear someone edify people publicly. As I listened to Tracy read the list, I could not help but think about how the Body of Christ is represented by that group. Our unique gifts, talents, characteristics and personality traits are special and blend together in an amazing way. I so appreciated hearing Tracy point out things in other people the way she did because it helped me to put words to my feelings and to recognize traits in others that I do not know very well. It was a very unique and special thing to be a part of. Having someone publicly recognize your strengths and qualities is both humbling and encouraging.
At the end of Bible Study, we closed in prayer and one of the ladies lifted me up in a special prayer as it was my last day. I felt so loved! I can't remember the last time I had someone pray over me like that. It truly touched my heart.
I returned home feeling so loved and cared for. I know that I have a body of believers behind me to love and support me through everything. After all, that is what the community of church is all about. Those feelings made me feel like I was floating all day. It was wonderful.
I have been reading a book by Marcus Buckingham called Find Your Strongest Life. It has helped me learn more about myself and how God uniquely created me. I highly recommend this book. I am learning about my strengths so that I can use them more effectively. I just thought it was ironic that all of these things happened in my life at the same time. Not only was I learning more about myself, but I was hearing how others saw me and what they appreciated about me.
After Bible Study, I returned home to work on some things and to put the finishing touches on the house before picking up my parents at the airport. It was so nice to welcome them home! My dog was sure excited to have them home again too!
My "thing" for the day was again in the form of preparation. I had volunteered to work the Revolve Tour in February. As a result, I was getting some free tickets, so I invited a dear young friend of mine (she's practically a sister) to come as my guest. In addition, I signed up to volunteer to work the Life and Justice Conference on January 22nd. Even better was that I found out a friend of mine was interested in volunteering with me. So, the two of us will be volunteering and attending the conference. I am truly looking forward to it. I'll be sure to blog about both events when they happen. Stay tuned...
I love it!
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