A letter

A letter to the men and women of Mobile, Alabama, specifically many of the University of South Alabama Wesley Foundation students; with whom I have spent some 700+ days learning and growing. 

To my brothers and sisters: 

I am writing to you to express first of all, my gratitude. I thank God for bringing me to you and you to me. You have profoundly impacted my life in ways I will continue to unpack for years to come. You all have shown me so much about God, the world, others and myself. Our time together was truly a blessing and I look forward to watching and praying with you all as you walk into new steps of your lives. 

I also want to share with you a prayer. I wrote this prayer for you all to encourage and challenge you because there is a lot of work left to do. The work of the Kingdom is found in every single corner of our world. It is our job to accept the work and to figure out our place within the work. It is important that you love and care for the place where you find yourself. Right now, your work is in and around Mobile, with and among the students at South. 

A prayer for you:

Thank God for all things, 

begin each and every single day, moment, season, chapter, step, all things with gratitude.  

Notice your neighbor, 

recognize the people that you see every single day. There are people hurting all around us every day that we fail to notice because we are too preoccupied with our own lives. Along with hurting people, there are also people who need to both celebrate and be celebrated. We get to do both with our neighbors, cry and celebrate, hurt and recover. Notice the people that God has put on your path. 

Practice patience, 

now this is just a life skill to cultivate. Patience with yourself, patience with others, patience with your boss, coworkers, family, etc. Patience is necessary. It is also a fruit of the spirit and it is something we should be working towards developing in our lives. Sometimes (always) it requires us to be disciplined and to choose to be patient when we do not want to. Do it anyway. 

Be vulnerable, 

this is one of the most difficult things to do. It's risky business. Though it is risky, it is absolutely worth it. We grow and become more of ourselves when we are vulnerable with others. When we are vulnerable, we invite others to be vulnerable too. This cannot be taken lightly, though. Just as it is important to be vulnerable, it is almost as important to receive vulnerability well. Be careful with what others share with you, take care of each other's hearts. 

Do beyond what is asked, 

not many people will tell you to do this. Many others will tell you that you only have to do the bare minimum. I challenge you to do more than what is expected or asked. When you do this, you are engaging in the moments that build character and will go on to produce more fruit in your lives (the spiritual kind of fruit). 

Find the lonely, 

we all experience loneliness sometimes. We need people to find us in that loneliness and invite us into a loving community. Be that loving community.

Figure out what you  offer, 

we each offer different skills and gifts to the Kingdom of God. This includes our personalities, humor, creativity, thoughts, prayers, friendships and so much more. It is not only important to figure out what you bring to to the table but to keep doing the work to bring it to the table well. That means being willing to continuously be working towards inward growth.  

Keep growing, 

growing is painful. When we grow, we are stretching and shedding. We are stretching to become the people God created us to be and shedding the layers that keep us from being that person. Don't be afraid of the growth, embrace it. 

Seek your calling, 

this one is a lifelong pursuit. Keep seeking your calling as it shifts, as you are molded, as your understanding of God deepens. 

Open your circle to others, 

invite others into your life. Do not close your circle or shut others out. There is enough room in your circle for someone else, I promise. 

Lean in, 

lean into every season of your life. You are learning, unlearning, relearning. You are in constant process and growth if you allow yourself and if you allow God to work in you. Leaning in allows you not to take yourself so seriously but to be along for the journey of figuring it out with one step at a time. 

Thank God for all things. 

Keep coming back to this. Always thank God for all things remembering that God is always faithful to us. As we recognize what God has done  and is doing for us, it pushes us on to living faithful lives in response. 

I could go on and on writing to you all. There are so many ways that I hope you will keep growing. I have seen so much growth in each of you since I've known you. I am proud to have been able to bear witness to some of that growth. I hope that you remember how important it is to care for each other, to love each other. I hope that you inspire each other to continue to grow in your relationship with and knowledge of God. The work of directing others to God is one of the most valuable ways we can spend our time. 

May you know the love of God and be the extension of that love in every place your feet take you. 

Joyfully, 

Holli