Not About Italy

Hello all! Sorry it’s been a while!

….

And every time I start to write this post, that’s as far as I get. And I’ve been home for two weeks today. And I’ve come up with many excuses of why I haven’t posted since the 27^th.  For example,

1.     My WiFi stopped uploading any photos to the web and my blogs weren’t posting faster than two hours of loading.

2.     I just got busy with classes, lessons, and exploring Urbino.

3.     I definitely hate failing

I have to admit, it probably has more to do with the failing part. After I had made excuse after excuse while in Italy, I came home and just came up with even more excuses. I told myself no one would read a post a week after the fact. It’s just embarrassing, honestly.

There are a lot of things we hide because we are embarrassed. We have all hidden a grade from our parents at least once, maybe your lines on your hand during a rehearsal, or maybe how much you feel your world is falling apart because obviously everyone on Instagram has it perfectly together! Maybe you’ve masked your feelings or pain with a smile? I know I have.

So why am I writing this you ask? I just gave many reasons why I am totally embarrassed that this is so late. Well it started with my own question, “Why do I care so much?” I started this blog not so everyone could see how great I am or all the places I’ve been or what books I’ve read. I started it to encourage others and to tell stories. So today I’m going to tell a story. And while it came from Italy, I’ll save all my Italy sunsets and excursions for a later post.

Once upon a time (as all good stories start) there was a man with a top notch white collar job. He had pretty much everything; he had the position of being most trusted by his boss and loved by many. Everything seemed to be going well on the outside: he worked hard and got good pay (man, this guy probably could’ve had a yacht if he wanted) but one day he received devastating news that his home had been demolished out of hate and that the walls around the city which once were the protection and pride of a great city were now shaken and destroyed. When the news reached him he was heartbroken and filled with an irrepressible calling to rebuild. His boss noticed that something was wrong and asked him what he could do to help? When asked, the man requested that he send a team of rescuers with him to restore his hometown.

We’ve all felt grief; we feel like we’ve failed; or maybe someone has failed us. Looking back, it’s easy to want to hide that scar with tinted concealer and pretend like it was never there. Nehemiah was faced with a similar situation. He saw something truly heartbreaking and had a couple choices just as many of us have when faced with what looks like irreparable failure. One is too hole up inside and just let the grief steal your joy. The second, is to join the adventure the Lord invites us on. One thing I’ve learned this summer? Redemption and restoration is ALWAYS the business of heaven.

This may sound crazy and I know I’m a hopeless romantic, but if you want to read a romantic story then read Nehemiah! Okay, well maybe not. But there is a lot of serious redemption going on there and to quote Maria Goff, “Every act of extravagant grace is a declaration of immense love.” God is always about restoring broken things. Over and over from Genesis to Revelation He is merciful. First He shows His mercy again and again to the Israelites. They keep running from Him and He relentlessly pursues them. He continues to restore and revise what the world saw as worthless. And Nehemiah had the blessing of getting to join Him on the adventure of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. It wasn’t about him…it was about Him.

And they shall be called The Holy People,

The Redeemed of the LORD;

^kand you shall be called Sought Out,

A City Not Forsaken.

Isaiah 62:12

I love that. “Sought Out” a city, seen as worthless, not forsaken but redeemed for a worthy purpose. A God-filled purpose.

Remember that next time you feel like a failure. (I did this morning and I’m assuming I wasn’t the only one today) He is always at work redeeming with His love. Ask Him today to do a “new work” in your heart (Isaiah 43:19) to rebuilding your heart to be a dwelling place where love lives. And can then spill out into the lives of those around you. I heard from a wise man once that sometimes are fear of failing can stop us from taking God’s invitation for an adventure. I don’t think I’m going to let that stop me today. What about you?