I believe that God has a plan for my life. That since childhood He has been shaping and forming me into the person that I am today and will be in the future. I believe that He knows the deepest desires of my heart and that He had something to do with placing them there.

That being said, I am not always the most patient person and often plead with God to speed up the timeline. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to people to keep waiting for God’s timing and trust that there is something bigger and better. However, even though it’s hard (and I mean really hard) to wait, I have far more evidence and personal experience of God showing up and loving on me than I have to contradict His word. And so I keep on believing and trusting and waiting.

Examples of God’s already proven goodness in my life are everywhere if I’m willing to look for them. From divine protection in some of the more dangerous escapades and imaginative endeavors that my brothers and I got into, to the emotional and mental protection when hurts were inflicted on me that were too much for a child to cope with at the time.

He was always there. Sometimes in a comforting role showering me with peace. Sometimes crying with me. Sometimes fighting in the ring for me. Regardless of what was going on or how willing I was to acknowledge Him, He was there.

I am a naturalist by nature. It’s a form of worship for me is to see God in His Creation. Standing speechless on top of a mountain or on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Talking to God in the stars and moon that He placed there so beautifully and artistically. To see the amazing works of art that He performs daily in the rising and setting of the sun. To sit on a cliff and listen to the waves crash and stare at the precise point where the water and sky meet on the horizon. He didn’t have to make these things so beautiful, but that’s who He is. These are often the places I talk to and hear from God. 

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to travel and help people. I remember the moment it began. I was nine-years-old. My family was living out in the country at the time with woods all around us and a large pond across the street. There was a low rock wall that ran the length of our driveway that my brothers and I would play on. We loved to play follow-the-leader across the wall, trying to see how fast we could go while avoiding the rocks we knew shifted.

This particular day I was by myself. Maybe I was practicing, trying to get my time down to keep up with my older brothers. My arms were out at my sides to help me keep my balance. I was wearing a purple dress with flowers on it. I was barefoot, of course. It must have looked like a dance of sorts to watch; hopping from stone to stone, arms twirling. I started to think about far away places. How amazing it would be to go see some of these places I had read about. And then, in the midst of my dance, I heard a voice whisper, 

“You are meant to fly far“

Like a soft tap or hand on my shoulder confirming the dream that was growing inside me.

It would be almost nine years from that day when I began to seriously travel. Through my attempts to follow God’s nudging and will and serve people, He was taken me to some amazing places and even more amazing people. God has been shaping my heart through His my whole life.

The process, however, is a continuous one that requires my involvement. In my stubbornness I haven’t always been willing to be very involved. But I am learning that the more you put into your relationship with God – the more audacious you are willing to be in your faith and where you allow it to take you – the more He will reveal and bless you for it.