Leap of Faith

I (Erica) spent the last three months at two different Bible Camps, and the most asked question now that I'm home is, "How was your summer?"

To put it simply, it was amazing...in further detail, I met God, we became Friends, and now He TRULY lives in my heart. But sometimes a simple explanation doesn't do things justice.

To elaborate...

I met God.

Not my perception of God, or the weak flawed God made out by the World. No, the God I met was the unchangeable, unfathomable God found in the Bible and in the intricacy of the world's nature. It was startling, scary and uncomfortable. In some ways I wanted to serve God and keep living my life the way I wanted without giving Him control. But now that I have met the TRUE God, I have no other choice. There is no one else I would trust to guide my life.

We Became Friends.

As my view of God changed, my desire to meet God changed. Before I was reluctant to trust, not ready to give my life to a God I wasn't even sure existed. Now faith in The Alpha and Omega has led me to a point where I want God to shine into my life. Sometimes I find myself talking out loud, not so much praying, but filling God in on things that have happened in my day. If that makes me crazy then I'm so happy to be crazy.

Now He Truly lives in my Heart.

This is always the most difficult struggle for me in my faith. I can follow rules, I can obey authority (ok, most of the time!) but my trust and affection is hard to gain. I have trouble being attached to people which is only tripled when I try to love a God that I can't see, feel or hear.

But something beautiful happened this summer. I read the Bible, no I devoured the Bible. I began to feel this strange hunger for God, for the salvation of others, for a pure life that I've never felt before. It was...amazing, the questions that seemed so important, so faith-breaking before dimmed in importance.

Instead I pursued God with a longing that has truly changed my life. And the amazing euphoric feeling I have right now is beyond a doubt a peace that surpasses all understanding. I know things will be hard, I've devoted my life to Christ. I am seeking to become a true Christian, a disciple of Christ. And I am trusting God to lead me.

So how was my summer?

It was exhausting, day in day out taking care of energetic kids. Playing exhausting games, not getting enough sleep.

It was SO MUCH FUN! I'll forever have memories of the crazy spontaneous things we did - winning hoccer games, bungee trampolines, and mountain boarding.

It was soul satisfying, I thrive on deep conversations, and whether it was my best friends and I talking about life decisions or a random conversation with a complete stranger about political climate I was encouraged and satisfied with quality conversations.

But most of all

I met God.

We became Friends.

Now He truly lives in MY heart.