I've had the blessing to meet with every professor I've had so far in my time here at CBU to share about my mission trip. As a Great Commission based college (Matthew 28:19-20), each and every professor is not only bold in their faith in Jesus, but has a heart for missions, whether to go themselves, support, or pray for. In speaking with one professor, I shared a bit of my story and heart behind missions, and he told me that some of the best advice he's ever received came from a woman at his church when he was in his late teens. She told him simply, "Just keep livin'".

What does this mean though? Well, in our lives, we will always go through hardship of some sort. Living in a fallen world, we are not immune to sin. The enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and we can guarantee that we will experience attacks from the enemy, spiritual warfare, temptation, and we will sin, we will fall short. In fact, we already have. But that is not the end of our story; it is only the beginning.

Let me step back a bit before I continue. My life is not one to be envied, except maybe it is. I grew up in a broken home, I was angry and spiteful, and I would lash out at anyone and everyone, both physically and with harsh words. I was lustful, I had addictions and so much self-hatred, and I fully believed the world would be better off without me. It didn't matter that I grew up Christian and going to church; I didn't care for God, and I figured He didn't care for me. I know, it doesn't sound like a life someone would desire. But here's the kicker: God redeemed me. In my brokenness and my hurt, in my loneliness, in my deep habitual sin, God sought me and waited for me to seek Him, and He never gave up on me. He cared for me so deeply. He pulled my feet from the pit and set me on solid ground (Psalm 40:2). And now, every day, through it all, I get to live for Christ and seek Him constantly. I get to live in full joy!

But what about my past? Honestly, what about my present, my every mistake, every time I slip and stumble, my sins? Well, to put it in the best way, I just keep livin'. I get to give my life, my whole life from start to finish, to God, and live for Him instead of for myself and for the world. And you know what? It is the most freeing feeling, knowing that I no longer have to let my past or my present hold on to me and control me. I get to live in freedom and full surrender.

And God could have stopped there. He could have changed my life, made me new, and set me on the right path to follow Him. But in the nature of our good and gracious God, whose love is abundant and unending, who wants to give us more than we deserve, He did more. He used my past - every part of it.

To the glory of God, praise be to Him, I have been able to relate to individuals on a deeper level, individuals who thought no one understood them, because of my past and my present. I got to share that there is hope, that they are not alone, and they are loved far beyond their understanding. Through the testimony God has given me, others get to see that there truly is a chance for them to live differently and be different. God allows each and every one of us trials and tribulations so that we may, in our weakness and His strength, keep seeking Him, draw closer to Him, and praise Him through it all.

So when I say "Just keep livin'", it is an encouragement to keep going through every trial, keep pushing through every obstacle and every hardship, because God will get you through and He will use it to His glory. Maybe you'll get to relate to someone on a deeper level because of your lived experience, or maybe it will simply look like a testament to His grace, His mercy, and His love in your life. If you're still alive and breathing, it means that God is good and faithful to you, that He has not given up on you, and that He has plans to use you and your lived experience, for His glory, after it or through it. But how do you experience this? How do you get to glorify God in every circumstance?

You just keep livin'.

Live for God always - He is everything you need,

Jenna :)

Prayer requests:

• As this school semester comes to an end, that I would finish this race God has set before me strong.

• For wisdom and discernment every day.

• For guidance in working this summer.