This has been a season of unlearning a lot of different types of things I already believed to be true or expected to be true.
For example, sharing a room with thirteen other girls is a lot more fun then it might sound. Cold showers are a welcomed thought after a long day either working on the land or cleaning and mopping and sweeping. Getting stared at all the time kind of makes me feel like a rockstar. And, believe it or not, it’s not as scary as I thought to live somewhere where I don’t speak the language.
(To date, the only words I can remember in Thai are “hello,” “thank you,” “no problem,” “very cute,” and “bathroom.” You know, all the essentials.)
But there are other things, too. I am coming to a point where Jesus is helping me unravel my defense mechanisms and helping me to really believe certain truths not just with my head but also with my heart.
Like the truth that he really loves me. A lot. And it’s not some general, boring, obligated love but a crazy, intense, sweet, detailed love. He knows me and good, bad, or ugly—past, present, or future—nothing surprises him. And then, because of that, he’s not going to leave me. Ever. Like my friend Autumn said once, “Where Holy Spirit sets up camp, he doesn’t leave.” So I can be confident that I am covered by his great love not only now but forever.
There are some days where these things are easier to believe than others, but I rest in the fact that he is faithful and he is true. And when lies crowd my mind and tell me otherwise, I am so blessed to be surrounded by a ton of sisters in Christ who speak truth and encouragement into my life daily and remind me not only who I am but whose I am.
As strange it is sometimes, I am learning that in the unlearning there is freedom.
