The Decade Challenge

A couple months ago the Decade Challenge was filling up my social media page. People were posting side-by-side photos of what they looked like at the beginning of the decade compared to the end. It was fun looking at everyone's pictures, even my own, to see of how they physically transformed. It really got me thinking about how much I have transformed on the inside over the last 10 years.

There are some pretty obvious transformations that I have gone through in the last 10 years. Becoming a wife, a mother, a New Bernian, and beginning a new career are some pretty notable ones but I wouldn't say that any of those were my greatest transformation.

I grew up in church and went through the motions of  baptism, first communion, and confirmation but I had never cultivated a relationship with God. I didn't know what that looked like or how to do it. I believed in God, I knew the famous bible stories, I just didn't know Him. I just didn't get it. After college was when I started to feel a longing for more but didn't know where to start. I went to church by myself and tried to get connected, but nothing really clicked for me. With not many people to talk with about it, I felt lost. I put too much stock into relationships and what people thought about me and was often left disappointed.

Ten years ago I was offered the opportunity to move to New Bern, North Carolina. This was completely out of my comfort zone and sounded crazy, but I felt a nudge. A nudge that wouldn't let up. After much thinking and talking about it and even having a friend pray with me one day in my backyard, I decided to go for it. I felt an unexplainable peace about my decision. I had no idea what was in store for me, but it knew it had to be something good.


It wan't until several months after my move that I realized it was God who was nudging me to make that move. For the longest time, I had felt like something was missing in my life and it was in New Bern that I found it....or should I say, Him. He perfectly placed people on my path t lead me to Him. On May 31, 2013, I decided to commit my life to Christ through baptism. Since then, He has used me, yes me, to lead other people to Him.

I am so thankful for a God that leaves the 99 to find the 1. I am thankful for a God who loved me enough to put that longing in my heart for Him and for never giving up on me. I am thankful for a God that will let me walk through the dark times all the while never taking His hand off of my shoulder. I am thankful for His grace that is immeasurable, His mercy that is inexhaustible, and His peace that is inexpressible.

I am by no means perfect and I fail Him almost daily, but I do try my hardest. Walking with Christ doesn't mean that bad or difficult things will never happen to me. It does mean that I can trust completely that He will guide me through anything and use my experiences for His glory. Over the last several years I have learned to let go, to trust, to forgive, and to love, even when it's hard. I pray that this life that I am living will help others come to know Christ. Striving to live a life that glorifies God has been my greatest and most important transformation of this decade. Without it, I wouldn't be where I am today. Without it, I wouldn't have all that I have. Without it, nothing else matters.