Install NOW

           This weekend for Fall Break, I got the chance to come over to New York City to see my best friend Kate, who was my RA last year. It's been super fun. We've cooked our own meals (which is actually hilarious if you know me because you know that I can't cook). We've watched Cinderella from back in 1997 when Whitney Houston starred in it. We've taken a walk through a gorgeous park to see the famous bridge and a cool lighthouse. We even had an incredible time hanging out with a family that Kate has become friends with here. However, today we got to a church service in the heart of Time Square called Hillsong Church. I thought this church would be obnoxious at first, since it's in New York AND in Times Square. BUT IT SO WASN't!!!

           This church was amazing. It was full of the nicest people, all culturally different, coming together to praise God. The feeling was unreal. Everytime I go into church services, I get this overwhelming feeling of love and power and commitment and purpose. It never fails me. It's just so incredible to see everyone praising God, no matter the life circumstances. That wasn't the only great thing about this church. I wouldn't be writing this blogpost if that was the only thing. Today, I witnessed a talk that I really needed to hear. We were SO blessed to hear a guy named Phil Dooley talk the best sermon I have gotten the chance to hear.

             The thing he talked about was our mission and our foundation. He described it like that IOS 10.2 update you keep getting on your phone. How many people get this update and press "Install Now?" How many people get this update and press "Remind me Later?" Almost all of the room rose their hand when he said "remind me later." It's like our relationship with God. He wants to upgrade our life. He wants you to carry out your mission. But we just keep pressing "remind me later," until WE are finally ready to install, to carry out the mission, to open our hearts. But then we do press install because you get frusterated at how many times our apps crash, or we have problems with our text messaging, or until we have time. And then we do press install. Sometimes that's the hardest part because even though we accepted this fact that we are going to upgrade or we are going to carry out the mission God wants us to do, sometimes it's not just an immediate result. You don't just hop from a place of "remind me later" to a quick install and your done. You get that screen that goes black and then has that little bar that starts downloading. You want it to go really fast, to upgrade immediately. But what does it usually do? It goes super slow, your patience starts declining, sometimes the bar even stops. That's exactly what happens to us. God cares as much if not more about the process then the destination. And the process is usually the hardest part. Then it finally uploads, you reach the destination. You're happy for a little while until you start looking at all the apps and the way things have changed. And you become frustrated at this new upgrade. Sometimes you wish you never did the upgrade. Until that time comes where you start becoming better at navigating this new update. Or naviagting this new life. Slowly, but surely, you realize that it was good for you. You being helping other people. You begin sharing with them that they should do the update. That they should upgrade there life. 

           In this sermon, it amazed me to see the full circle of becoming a believer, getting the chance to upgrade but for various reasons you keep hitting "remind me later." You think you're not ready. You think that you can't do it. Whatever the case. And then you hit upgrade and the process starts happening where you can become so impatient and life can get hard. Until you've made it to this destination that you have been on the path to. And even then you get frustrated because you start comparing your life to others or you begin to look how different your life is. But then, the best part comes. When you accept this new upgrade and you see how much better your life is. By doing that, you begin sharing with other people. This story goes full circle. But it comes to point of, you have to know your mission. Your purpose.

           This is something I've been struggling with lately. It's so hard in a crowd of so many people to know a purpose that is your own. But don't you dare think you don't have a purpose. You may think sometimes that you're unimportant, but never think you don't have a purpose. The reason why you are alive, is because God is using you. He isn't done with you. It sure can feel like it sometimes, but you are being used in ways that you may not notice. The people that have left us to go elsewhere, God isn't using them anymore. There own unique and amazing gift was used. But you, my friend, are still being used and I don't know about you, but that gives me an amazing feeling. You have a purpose. 

"You didn't want Heaven without us, so Jesus you brought Heaven down,

My sin was great, your love was greater, what could separate us now,

What a wonderful name it is, what a wonderful name it is,

The name of Jesus Christ my King,

What a wonderful name it is, nothing compares to this."

"What a beautiful name it is" by Hillsong Worship