You Don't Have To Prove It

Hi All,

Happy Summer! I know it has been a summer way different than most of us expected, but I pray you are still finding joy and rest through it all.

I have been in Knoxville, TN for about a month and a half now. In my time here, I have learned so much that I think I might explode with information. With all that I have been learning, I’ve been trying to continually find space with Jesus to wrestle through things and ask Him how this information can and should change the way I live my life.

As I’ve been processing that with Him, I’ve written a few things down that He has revealed to me along the way. I wanted to share some of them with you. They all pertain to different things so read them as separate. Read them all in one sitting or one at a time coming back to it later on. Either way, give yourself time to sit with them and ask Abba what He might be speaking to you through them.

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You don't need to prove yourself. In any way. Because it’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are. And you don’t need to prove who you are. Because who you are has already been decided.

You are LOVED. And you are LOVE. You are WORTHY. You are CHOSEN. Because Yahweh says you are. This is true of every single person on this planet. Every. Single. One.

It cannot be changed no matter who does or does not believe it. No matter who sees your worth or not. It is always there. It is never changing. Because who you are is who He is. And who He is NEVER changes. He is never changing. Always the same.

So even if it is asked of you to put aside your freedom so others can experience the love of God, it does not change you and it does not change the truth. You are who you are and that will never change. You are born to be loved. No matter what.

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To be aware requires a slowness. A humility of not knowing and asking Jesus to give us sight. A contemplative life.

We need a contemplative mind in order to do compassionate action - Richard Rohr

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I think I’ve always thought that loving people means fully being myself. But I think it’s actually the dying to self that truly loves.

God, is this your heart towards us? Even when there's a chance we are being insanely selfish, or too forceful for our way, or not open minded about others, or whatever…. You literally only care about us knowing we are loved.

First and foremost, you care that we know that we are loved. Because once we know that and believe it, it changes everything for us. And it opens our hearts to loving like you loved.

Jesus you died to yourself in every way so we might understand your love. You gave up your rights and honor and deserved royalty to serve others. To help them know love.

"It's extravagant, it doesn't make sense, we'll never comprehend, the way you love us" -Steffany Gretzinger

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I don’t know how, but all I know is that when you press into what God has put right in front of you, no matter how good or hard it looks to you, it always fulfills. Because He knows what you need and He always provides. That is what I’ve learned to be true.

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Whatever I do, help me to do it with love Lord. Teach me how to fight for justice with love. And remind me that I asked this of you when it gets hard. I will choose others even when they don’t choose me. I will love others even when they hate me.

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I don’t want to be perfect in the world's eyes. I don’t want to have a perfect body and looks according to what the world says is perfect.

I want to be perfect in my Father's eyes. And by the blood of Jesus Christ I already am. He doesn’t care what I look like physically (although He does think I’m ravishing), He cares what my heart looks like. Because that is where true beauty flows from.

I will not strive to be accepted by the world because nothing will ever be good enough. You always have to keep fighting in this world. But in my Father's Kingdom, I am more than enough and nothing can ever change that.

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I will choose to remind people who they are instead of what they’ve done.

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Thanks for reading! I hope I have shared some new things with you that you can take to Jesus and wrestle through with Him. These insights did not come easily. But don't give up when it gets hard. It's more than worth it to push in and find the beauty on the other side of the wrestling.

Also, I'm continuing to learn and wrestle through things. He is always opening my eyes to things I did not see before. So stay tuned for more thoughts as I process through systematic injustices, racial injustices, and cross cultural experiences.

P.S. Because of the spike in COVID here in the US, the EU has barred all US citizens indefinitely. Which means we will not make it back to Spain for our fall semester of G42. I am sad to not be going back to Spain. But I am also excited because I have learned time and time again that God is not defined by where you are or what you are doing.

We should be hearing within the next few weeks where in the US we will be located for our fall semester. Please pray for our leadership as they are having to make a lot of big and hard decisions quickly.

Love you all! Please reach out if you have questions or want to hear more!

Rachel