being exposed

it happens. the good parts of what's in you and the bad parts. it seems to be the reality of being on a team, in close quarters. walking into a different country and culture is exciting and something new. it is overwhelming at times [and that feeling forces you to remember why it is that you came here].

 you have to make lots of choices. 

that when your box of junk is dumped out in front of everyone to see that you choose to deal with the mess that is inside of it. my first reaction is to scramble around to pick everything up and shove it back into the box, like the picture above.

i am learning more about myself, things that i would not know if i had not moved. 

i realize what i cling to when i am in stressful situations. i learn from them. but it's a choice. and not one that i often make. being exposed is teaching me. teaching me that there is an opportunity to change what's in my box. i must loosen my grip on the things i hold tightly, asking God to put to death what is earthly in me and to set my mind on the things above. 

so go figure, part of me wants to tape my box shut so that no one can see what is in there. BUT the other part of me wants to dump my box out and sort through the things in it. and i believe that is what's happening. by being surrounded by a team of believers, we are sorting through the things in our boxes together, believing that God is the one who is making all things new. His Word tells us this in Revelation 21:5. He says write it down, for those words are trustworthy and true. He is continually making me new. 

i'm writing it down.