Humility: My Word for 2016

Preface:

Every year since 2007 I have chosen a word for the year.  It’s something that my pastor in Orlando, David Uth, encouraged the congregation to do.  We would pray for a word before the New Year and through prayer and meditation we would be given one.

Without fail, that word ended up playing an important role in my joys and sorrows during that year. Throughout the year God would supply me with scripture and words of wisdom related to that word.  When things were tough it would remind me that God was with me.  By the end of that year I had noticed that I had grown in that particular area of my life.  For example if my word was love, by the end of the year I was loving more.

How it happened:

           

“I fear that my lesson in this lifetime is humility….and I think that lesson is beneath me.”

Toward the middle of November during my month of prayer and fasting, I began praying for a word for 2016.  The first day I prayed I saw a vision of the word “HUMILITY.”  Immediately I was like, “No thank you God. Can I please have another word?  This past year has been hard enough.  Humility will just add to my pain!!!”  I kept praying and asking God for another word but I kept getting humility. 

A week after getting the word “humility” I got the word “truth.”  I was excited for this new word choice.  When I told my small group about it my friend Jennifer said, “humility is nothing but truth, pride is nothing but lying.”  On top of that I started meeting with the mentors I have made here in Thailand in preparation for my training in Korea and every one of them started talking to me about the importance of humility on the mission field.  Then when my pastor from Korea came to visit he also spoke about our team being humble in the direction we choose for our ministry in Thailand. 

The Decision:

“Pride is concerned with who is right.  Humility is concerned with what is right.” 

~Ezra T. Benson

I finally decided to accept the word “humility” about 3 weeks after receiving it and here is why.  First, I am a very prideful person who could actually use some humility in my life. When I say pride I mean the ugly side of pride, one of the “Seven Deadly Sins,” not the side that is satisfied with my choices and accomplishments or where I come from.  Pride is a very ugly sin and without even realizing it, it can catch you off guard.  It is a gateway sin that can lead you into a host of other weaknesses. 

Second, my purpose for being in Thailand is to Empower the few Thai Christians in Thailand to share the gospel with their fellow Thai brothers and sisters.  I want to disciple Thai Christians. I want to equip churches with resources that can strengthen families.  “Empowering people takes humility because you are helping them and they get the credit for all you do.” (Julie Powers) 

Third, humility will teach me how to love genuinely.  When you serve someone with pride you expect something in return.  When you serve someone with humility you are living the way Jesus did.  Jesus expected nothing in return from all those He served during His time on earth.  Those people loved Jesus because they wanted to love Jesus, not because they had too.

Finally, humility is a broken heart.  To be filled with the Spirit, we must be emptied of self.  Some of the greatest lessons I have learned have come from a broken heart.  This current lesson I am facing is no exception.  As I mentioned in my previous blog about trust, “every prideful bone in my body wants me to lash out with pride and get revenge."  God is pouring me out completely right now so I can be filled with His Spirit. 

CONCULUSION:

“He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way.”

~Psalm 25:9

I know this year is going to be tough.  I have no idea where God will take me with this word.  It already started before 2015 ended.  Within a few days after accepting the word God began to work on my humility.  Humility is tough because my flesh is always raging war against my spirit.  Pride is of the flesh and humility is of the spirit.  I ask for your prayers as I take on 2016.  If our paths cross in 2016 I also ask for your patience as well as I am sure I will mess up during this learning process.  

This little bunny warms my heart.  He always greets me at a place I go to pray often.  It's God's way of romancing me in the place I meet Him I guess.

My Super fun Thai class from this past year!

These girls are a special gift from God, to me during my transition into Thai life.  I love this gift!!

During my 2 week visit to Korea I got the chance to meet up with God's special gift to me while I lived in Korea.  I love these girls and the support they continue to give me while on the Mission Field.  

This picture is from a shoe outreach I attended with Empower Asia over Christmas.  Over 200 people came to hear the gospel and about the meaning of Christmas, most of them for the first time.  It was a really wonderful time learning more about this organization and being able to work with them.  Thanks Empower!!!!

“She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that’s one of the reasons why they did.” ~Zelda Fitzgerald

“You can choose to be kind or you can choose to be right, but if you choose to be kind you will always be right.”