It's been a little over a week since our team got back from our mid-year conference in Nerja, Spain. The conference was for Agape staff in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. It was a great time of being refreshed as well as challenged for minstry this next semester.
One of my favorite things in life is to sit outside in the sun and look at nature. I'm a bit of an introvert and a major internal processor so there is something so calming and refreshing about just sitting by myself and allowing my mind to stop spinning and just take in the beauty of Creation.
This conference definitely provided that for me. I spent a lot of time out on the sand and rocks sitting right by the sea soaking up the sun just enjoying being alive and getting to be at such an overwhelmingly beautiful place. I loved Spain! Part of its appeal may have been that I was coming from dark, cold, rainy, noisy Florence...but Spain was so serence and warm and just exactly what I needed.
Other than the beautiful scenery and time to relax, another favorite thing about the conference was the teaching. One of our national leaders here in Italy - Gary Runn - led us in a time of studying the Bible each day. His teaching is always great, but one thing he talked about that really stuck with me was the concept of being an image bearer.
God created us each in his image with the purpose of bearing his image. But so often we are so consumed with building our own image that we do not bear the image of God.
This really wasn't the main point to Gary's talk, but I haven't stopped thinking about it.
How much time and energy do I spend trying to build my own image? Worrying about others perceptions and opinions of me....Am I more concerned that when people see me they see a put-together polished image I have created of myself, or that they see an image of Christ?
This concept is related to what the Lord has been teaching me all year about my brokenness and the beauty of being a jar of clay. When I allow His grace and perfection to shine through my weakness and sin, rather than trying to cover those things up and display a perfect image of myself, He is glorified. He uses my weakness to show His strength. My flaws to show His perfection. And as I allow those cracks to show and He shines through them, the image people see when they see me is not an image of myself, but rather an image of Christ.


1 comment:
Hi Abigail! The pictures you posted both here and on Facebook are great! I hope you are staying safe! Take care of yourself and keep your blog updated! :)
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