Peace by Piece

The last time we talked, I was in the middle of a study on Colossians and in the midst of long-suffering. Today, I'm going to share some more truths I've taken out of Colossians and how they apply to the place I sit now ... grace and peace.

Like most long-suffering, it was for a time and has begun to pass. [That's not to say there won't be long-suffering ever again in my future.] It's no secret I've been working through some conflict and was working to find the best way through it. I'm on to the next piece of my processing and that is grace and peace. Does that mean all of my conflict is completely resolved and no longer an issue? No...but it does mean that I'm making steps towards the closure that I need on the situation. 

Over the last few weeks, I've been able to rely on the Lord to guide me in my next steps and to let Him lavish peace on me...regardless of how the situation turned out -- because God doesn't always work it out like we think or want. 

In my processing, there was another set of verse in Colossians that really stuck out to me...

Girl time at the market!

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." -Colossians 3:12-17

Y'all, there is so much to unpack here! 

1. We are the ELECT. We are HOLY and BELOVED! We are chosen. God has created us just the way we are for a purpose. It was no accident. He has a very specific plan for our lives. 
2. As a Christian, there are a lot of attributes we have to "put-on" that make us who we are. We should have mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and yes, long-suffering. We are called to some struggle. 
3. BUT, we are not alone in this. Not only do we have Christ, we are supposed to bear with one another. I'm not supposed to just walk away from a relationship because I'm hurt or frustrated, nor am I supposed to let my brothers and sisters walk through their long-suffering alone. We are supposed to be there for each other. Struggle with each other, love each other, forgive each other. We're human. We make mistakes. Sometimes we hurt others or others hurt us. We still have to FORGIVE. [I knew this was one of the steps I needed to take in my conflict.] Everyone has something they're dealing with. That's where grace comes in!
4. All of these things -- walking together, bearing burdens, addressing conflict or complaint -- should all be done from a place of LOVE. Not out of anger or spite, but of love, because just as we are reconciled with Christ, we should reconcile with one another. However, reconciliation doesn't happen unless it comes from a place of love. It's the bond of perfection. It's what holds us all together.
5. AND LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS. This is what has carried me through. It's not some huge event to get the peace of God...it's a choice. All we have to do is ALLOW it. It's right there. He's ready and willing to shower you with it. We have to choose to let peace in. That's sometimes easier said and done, because sometimes things don't always turn out how we want, but that doesn't matter. God's plan is better than mine anyway, so why not let Him rule? (I know this is often way easier said and done!)
6. Christ DWELLS in us. His spirit gives us all that we need to walk through life with GRACE in our hearts. Lean in, rely, seek. 
7. All that we do, we should be doing for the Lord. Not for us...not because of how we FEEL, but because of our call in relationship and our duty to others and to Christ. 

Some of my sweet friends, Laura and Holly

So, where does all of this leave me? I've had some conversations and a whole lot of time with Jesus about what I'm supposed to do. Things are getting better. They don't happen over night, and it still might not be exactly what I pictured. The important thing is that I have peace and I know that I'm moving in the right direction piece by piece. Are you? 

Moving on to more of an actual update, this summer has gone by quickly and been filled with some fun things...

• We hosted a team of 43 dentists and dental students. Some of them were here in January and they pulled a whole bunch more nasty teeth. It was fun to see some familiar faces and get spoiled with a few goodies!
• We are running a 5K here on the ground in Haiti. We're hoping to purchase some land in the near future and need your help to make it possible. Sponsor runners in Haiti here: https://haiti-orphan-project.networkforgood.com/projects/34514-the-haiti-team-hope-5k-fundraiser. Pray for us as we are working towards our financial goals and that our run here would go well! 
• I went to a church concert the other night with one of my Haitian friends. It was a really cool experience getting to see many come together worshipping God in Creole. They even sang part of a song in English and once they got some words on a screen, I could read and worship alongside them knowing what I was singing!
• We took about 14 of our Kid's Program kids to the beach for a day. They were posed the challenge of earning at least a 7 on their grade cards (They use a 10 scale for grades here.) and if they did, they got to go to the beach! They had lots of fun!

Until next month...

Caitlin

Picture from the choir concert I attended.

Beach day!!!