Immeasurably More

Well, here I am in the car with the Shappley Circus on the way back to the little town of Boiling Springs to begin year three. I am ecstatic about being back in that one stop light place that has become my home away from home. 

I will be able to see my roomie for the first time in 3 months, and I just told her I feel like it is Christmas Eve and she is the great present tomorrow with the red bow on it. I will be living in an apartment with my three bestie gals. I will be reunited with some of the most quality people on this planet. I will be back in the land of Hoshi, Broad River Coffee, and late night Cookout runs. I will be in a place where God continues to call me to take a leap of faith, where He continues to do immeasurably more and where He has called me to be for this time in my life. 

For some reason, I always expect it to get a little easier to say goodbye each time to my homeland of Mississippi but somehow it always gets a little harder. It is hard to leave the place where God has done such big things. It is hard to leave the late night giggles and times of obsessing over Girl Meets World with your little sister. It is hard to leave the beautiful and deep friendships I have made this summer. It is hard to leave the church and the people who have poured nothing but Jesus into you and who cheer for you so loudly on the sidelines. It is hard to leave a job that has been nothing but encouraging to you. It is hard to leave places knit to your heart, but GOD IS SO GOOD. This summer has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. If you read my last post you know that at the beginning of this summer I was a girl with a sunburn and a broken heart hoping for healing and refreshment for my soul. I am here to tell you that God has brought me a LONG way from that girl sitting in a condo in Charleston, SC.

 The past three months have definitely not been a walk in the park, but they have been filled with God’s style of immeasurably more. 

Immeasurably more has been working and serving with two high school girls from Louisiana and Georgia who easily became my sisters and encouraged my socks off by their support, love, and friendship. 

Immeasurably more has been living life and working with Cindy Townsend. A woman who has shown me what it looks like to never shrink back from God’s agenda. A woman who has shown me what it looks like to pray fervently. A woman who has shown me what it means to be a follower of Jesus, willing and ready for whatever God is up to.

Immeasurably more has been having the opportunity to see my brother, Hunter, after almost 2 years and get to spend a couple of hours in his world of New Orleans. One of the people in my life who always makes me laugh and always provides the best memories. One of the people I have always looked up to.

Immeasurably more has been being able to share short but sweet moments with my Cheetah Sistas (Mary Morgan, Molly, Shellie, Carol) because they are my heart. Forever (future) bridesmaids. Forever sisters. Forever friends I can always come home to. 

Immeasurably more has been God revealing some idols I had in my life and gently restoring me by helping me get my priorities in order. 

Immeasurably more has been spending a weekend in NC talking and preparing with your college bestie about how to love people well and deeply this year. It has been coming to find beauty and appreciation in each person’s story. 

Immeasurably more has been having best friends to come home to, to laugh with, to share with, and to know they are always there for you even if time spent together is limited. 

Immeasurably more has been going to Hawaii and seeing 14 kids come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It was being able to participate and help in their baptism. It was God confirming my call to North American missions. It was God giving me a new beginning to a fresh season in my life. It was God opening exciting and crazy doors that I’m still praying about. It was teaching kids a rap to the Great Commission and dabbing to all the Bible verses we learned.

Immeasurably more has been (even though this sounds crazy) having a fever blister on my eye and pink eye all at the same time. It was immeasurably more because I had some time to rest. It was immeasurably more because I got some quality time with my sister. It was immeasurably more because God was ever present throughout each day. 

Immeasurably more has been seeing the Gospel in such real ways. It has been having the opportunity to share the Gospel. It has been being reminded of the Gospel and its value, importance, and power. 

Immeasurably more has been God bringing me to the place I am right now. A place where God has used this summer as a launching pad for the rest of my life which is something far more than I can imagine or do on my own. A place where I am certain that God is about to do something BIG at Gardner-Webb. A place where my heart is still hurt but not broken; fragile but healed. A place where God is everything. A place where there are still challenges but confidence that God’s got this. A place where I know Satan is trying to mess up, but God has already won the victory and calls me not to shrink back. A place of complete surrender and willingness to God’s agenda and not my own. A place where I am humbled by the fact that this life is not about me. It is about God. It is about His son, Jesus. It is about confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead so that we can be saved and spend eternity in heaven. It is about going and sharing the goodness and hope of Jesus Christ. It is knowing and living the fact that Jesus is worth everything you are afraid of losing. 
Praise the Lord for immeasurably more. 

August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 by emmashapp Categories: Uncategorized 2 Comments