The day I have dreaded has finally come. The banquet is in a few hours, and tomorrow I will have to say goodbye to all the dear friends that I have met through my experience at SMI. Even as my heart is heavy because of the realization that I will no longer be with these amazing people every day, I will cherish the memories and the lessons that God has taught me these past three weeks. The most important one is that God is good. All the other little lessons that I have learned point back to that main truth: God is good.
Here are a few of the lessons that I have learned during these three weeks.
- The Lord is trustworthy. I am a person that likes to know what is going to happen. I want to know what is in store for me… I want to have a five year and ten year plan. But I have learned through SMI that I don’t need to try to plan my life out. God may only give me the next step, and He may only show me little by little what plans he has for my life. That is okay. I have learned that God is trustworthy, and He cares deeply about me. He is good.
- I have learned that I am weak, very weak. I cannot do anything on my own, and I have no power to do good unless God is the one working through me. I have learned that because God is good, He chooses to use me even though he does not need me. During outreach, I never felt like I was ever “ready” or fully prepared to talk about God. I never felt like there was an exact moment that was “perfect timing” for sharing the gospel. Sharing God’s love for others is good all the time. Jesus is good all the time. I worry that I might say something wrong, or that I won’t have an answer when people ask me questions. But God has taught me through this experience that He doesn’t need me to be fully ready. He needs me to be obedient to Him and to his calling. I may feel weak but I know that the God that I serve is strong… And He is good.
- I have seen people who are hurting. Suffering is very evident here, but in the midst of this pain, I see God’s heart for the people of North Philly. I see that He is continually working in their lives and bringing people back to himself. He does not abandon us to walk through suffering alone, rather He promises to carry us through suffering and work it out for our good.
– Megan Vesey