I _____ My Life.

If you were to fill in this blank, what word would you use? Do you "love" your life? Do you "deal with" your life? What about "hate"?

I came to think about this for the past few days after hearing a few strangers talk at me. And yes, I mean they talked at me. Let me explain. This past weekend, the most random occurrences happened to me while running some errands.

First, I went to pick up some water bottles for a church event. As I was buying the water, the cashier asked me how I was doing today. I replied, "I'm doing well. And you?" He responded, "I hate my job and my life. I'm a trophy husband who wants to go home and read comics." That escalated quickly, seriously.

The next morning, I was walking to my car. A biker passed by, looked me in the eyes and said, "I hate my life." Again, that escalated really quickly. I'm still in shock of why anyone would feel comfortable telling that to a complete stranger.

This got me thinking. What do I think about my life? How do people think about their lives? Do majority of people hate it and live in depression/darkness all the time? Or is it the other way around?

I came to realize that I was complaining about a lot of things in my life. Why am I back at school studying accounting? I don't even enjoy it all that much. Why can't I go think, write stories for the rest of my life? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate accounting. We need accountants. But I don't think it's going to be a lifelong thing for me.

After hearing a sermon today, I was convicted to change my perspective on my current circumstances. Sure, I may not completely love what I'm doing right now. But as a Christian, I'm called to do my best no matter what I'm doing. We're called to be the best for His sake regardless of whether you're a CEO, janitor, doctor, teacher, reporter, etc. I've been blessed with resources that make me in the top 1% of the world. There's no way I should be complaining or unsatisfied. Instead, I should be in awe and thanksgiving every second of my life.

So that's my determination. Life is a gift from God. I just realized that I'm reading a book called, "Life is ____" by Judah Smith. So I'll shamelessly plug in some of his quotes.

Life is to be loved by God and to love [others].

Life is to trust God in every moment [good or bad].

Life is to be at peace with God and yourself.

Life is to enjoy God [and His goodness].

Hope we can all strive to live a life of joy in Christ. Because He is so worth it.

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Doing Good Is Contagious.

That's the motto at Jubilee Project. And you should check out their Youtube channel if you haven't heard of them! That being said, my two weeks at the JP Fellowship has come to an end. And God has taught me so much in these two weeks.

Community Can Be Built In 2 Weeks
If you don't believe me, then go to the Fellowship. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it happened. It was amazing to witness how 14 people living under one roof can grow together. It was through our vulnerability, encouragement, and service that made this possible.

My team leader, Eugene, put it this way. We all put on face when we're in public, but it's not the real version of who we are. Underneath that, we have a layer of shame. And in the center, we have our true self. In two days, everyone at the fellowship shared their most vulnerable stories. We tore off the masks. And through that, we were able to start building each other up. Being vulnerable is a sign of courage (shoutout to Kevin).

I pray and hope that I can bring this back home. This is something that is needed to grow/encourage each other in Christ. No one is perfect. And that's okay, because there's a greater Grace to be received.

Doors Open and Close
I got to listen to Michelle D. Jones, who is an amazing woman of God. She held a workshop session at the JP Conference. She briefly talked about how our God-given desires are worth pursuing. However, there is a difference between creating our desires and pursuing them.

We are called to follow His will. That does NOT mean we should start busting down doors to create opportunities. It means we should patiently prepare ourselves until a door is opened and/or closed. As long as we're doing our best to serve and live a selfless life according to His will, He will open and close doors as we journey through life.

There's so much more to talk about. But this is the best I can do to put it in a nutshell. I hope this post can encourage many of you. And I pray that we can all live by His grace.

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Jubilee Project Fellowship (so far)

It's only been 2 full days here at Jubilee Project Fellowship. And I've already learned/experienced so much. The people here are unique, amazing, talented, and diverse. I wanted to share a few thoughts.

It's amazing to see how people from all over the world can come together, put aside their differences, embrace each other's uniqueness, and collaborate together. On top of that, we are able to be open and honest with one another. I've never been in any other environment that has fostered such a warm, open, safe environment.

Although JP doesn't affiliate themselves as a "Christian" organization, its values speak for themselves. People here live out a Christian life without having to even say it. I can honestly say that the "fellows" here are accepting, non-judgemental, and selfless. I have truly witnessed what it's like to live out your faith rather than stating it.

I'm not here to cause controversy on whether or not a person/organization should or shouldn't pronounce their faith publicly. But I can say, with confidence, that it's more important to live out the Christian faith instead of just saying it. 

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