New Life

"Then the Lord put out this hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to breakdown, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.'" -Jeremiah 1:9-10 

I have come to love this verse so much - especially the last line: to build and to plant. I love the imagery that brings up in my mind. Spring is in full force here in Atlanta, and through a thick cloud of pollen, so much beauty is popping up all around me. The trees are turning rich and green and the tulips and lilies of vibrant are opening up to drink the sunlight. I imagine an old man, bent over with his rough hands in the moist dirt tenderly placing a tiny, seemingly insignificant seed into the ground. When he is finished, he covers it with earth and softly pats the space where it remains hidden, and then he walks away. He has faith in knowing that the earth, the sun, and the rain will all work together in harmony to bring about new life where there was once only emptiness.

This is what I believe God is doing here in Atlanta. He is a gardener - he is planting new things, bringing new life and beauty as his Kingdom comes crashing into places that were once empty.

My university experience is an amazing example of that. When I started going to Georgia State, I was very lonely and embarrassed of being so. In many ways, I was confused about my faith and what role it had to play in my life. I felt unsatisfied with the rituals I was brought up to complete, and I wanted more. I felt like the campus was constantly spinning - on one hand, it was brimming with life and excitement but once it turned dark, the campus was empty and desolate. People often comment that you either love Georgia State or you transfer out after one semester. The relationships you build here really define the experience you are going to have throughout your college career.

I am so thankful that within the first month of my freshman year I just happened, by a random circumstance, to come across InterVarsity. During the first event I attended, I heard the vision of what this group of college students felt called to, and a big part of it that stuck out to me was their desire to see new life brought to campus. These Christians had stepped out of rituals, and were putting taking their faith to campus dorms, classrooms, plazas, and libraries because they believed that God wanted more for Georgia State. This vision inspired me and had me coming back for more. Four years later, and my life has been completely transformed by the work of Jesus through InterVarsity - I have seen the soils of three new countries, met incredible communities of believers, witnessed friends come to faith, proclaimed Jesus' desire for justice on my campus, experienced true racial and ethnic reconciliation in multi-ethnic community, and continually grew my leadership skills by heading missional communities and attending core group meetings. Four years later, and I believe God wants me to be a part of bringing life transformation to other students who were just like me.

God is constantly planting. He is constantly putting our little mustard seeds of faith into the ground. His hands are careful as he places us in our communities, his words are tender as he teaches us through Scripture, his dreams are big as he sends us to take risks and to experience new things. And with time we grow. We grow into beautiful, new beings brimming with joy and expectation.

God is bringing new life here - in this city! In this place! And he has this day given us kingdoms and nations to build and plant with him. What's stopping us?