I'm going to be really honest with you guys. Here goes:
I have no idea how to write a blog post about Passion 2013.
That would be a huge part of the reason that I haven't written one yet, though Passion ended nearly three weeks ago (all other reasons being summed up into the fact that I am absolutely swamped with homework this semester). But seriously, how does a single person write a post about that experience? It was four days of complete immersion in worship through music and Bible study and a little bit of self-sacrifice. Someone other than me might be able to sum up the whole event in a beautiful post that leaves you feeling like you went there yourself. Nope, not me. Although, I probably could sum up what the event meant to my physical body in one word: COLD.
It's going to take several posts for me to scratch the surface of what I learned at Passion. This sounds- and is- cliche, but I truly did return from the Georgia Dome as a new and refreshed human being. I felt lighter, with more faith than I've ever had before. I'm not ashamed of the cliche; instead, I'm incredibly grateful that something like Passion exists. I have no doubt that God uses it for great things. Mine was not the only life changed as a result of Passion 2013.
One of the passages of Scripture that was used as a focus for the week was Ephesians 3:20-21.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ever ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."
This passage is not one that I had ever given much thought to prior to Passion. However, on the morning of January 3rd, my community group (PURPLE) focused on every aspect of the passage and discussed it with our wonderful family groups. During that time, a visual of what that Scripture really means came into my head.
This is how I see it on a tangible scale:
Put your hands out in front of you and place your thumbs and fingertips together so that your hands form a circle. That's the size of my average problem.
Now, break that circle by pulling your hands away from each other and creating the illusion of a slightly larger circle than before. When I take my problems, sorrows, and even joys to God, that's about how much I expect Him to do with them. I was raised to believe that God can and will do more than I hope for when I cast my burdens on Him. That's the image of God that I have grown accustomed to, and sometimes even tragically take for granted. But if you look at that circle, you'll see that I still put limits on God, even when I know He'll do more than I ask, because I believe He'll do only that much more.
Now take your hands away from that circle, that boundary that I have put on God, and imagine brushing it away and making those walls disappear. That's what God does. He is not limited by any boundary, even if that boundary is outside of what we can imagine as human beings. He is the God of the immeasurably more.
That was one of the lessons that I am most grateful to have learned at Passion. I have grown so much in my faith, and I pray that I'll continue to do so.
God isn't limited to anything- not even moving mountains. He is able to do immeasurably more.
And He does.
