Refresh Recap (Recounting God's Faithfulness)
There are so many things that I can talk about when it comes to the amazing weekend I had at Refresh Summit. I could rave about the awesome sponsors, the country Zumba glow party, or even the awesome workshops that I got to attend, but I want to take a few minutes and talk to you about what God was up to in my heart at Refresh.
Let’s go back to the summer months leading up to Refresh Summit first. It has been an interesting year for my family and I knew that we did not have the financial means for me to buy a ticket for Refresh this year. I started texting and talking to my good friend Bobbi about how I was praying for a way to attend Refresh but also praying that God would prepare my heart to be ok with not attending this year. I found myself craving the refreshment and intentional time away from the everyday things of life that I had experienced the last two years while attending Refresh Summit. I continued to pray and God was faithful to see my need. He knew even more than I did that this time of refreshment and seeking out His will needed to happen.
Galatians 3:26 and 2 Corinthians 6:18 tell us that we are a part of God’s family. He is our father and we are his sons and daughters. He cares so deeply for us and knows our needs. God opened up a door for me to be a part of the host team at Refresh and it was an answer to prayer!
It doesn’t stop there…Skip forward to Refresh Summit weekend and let me tell you of how God continued to be faithful. I found my heart to be very heavy specifically on Saturday at the retreat and it was due to many different circumstances. My heart was heavy due to physical and emotional hurt that people I love dearly were experiencing. I also found myself to be weighed down with hard future decisions that needed to be made and the finances behind many of these decisions, but God didn’t leave me there. I found myself needing to spend intentional time on my knees continuing to pour out my heart to God. He already knew all that was on my heart but He wanted me to give it over to Him. He wanted me to acknowledge that I needed Him. (Jeremiah 17:10 & Psalm 121).
After pouring out my heart to God, I picked myself up off the floor, put on my sneakers, and made my way outside to Amia’s Movefit class. God continued to work on my heart as I surrendered everything to Him. As I found myself lost in the drumstick workout, my heart broke…and so did my drumstick!! God was confirming in me that He had set me free (Galatians 5:1). He has called me to glean from Amia and that faith and fitness is my jam. I need to trust that God has given me specific passions and desires and He will be faithful to see them through. I need to continue to trust that He will provide in every aspect, including finances.
Later that day, I was talking to Amia about the word that God had given me this year at Refresh and the things that He was doing in my heart. I told her that the word He gave me was “FREE”. Amia then asked if she could write the word on my shoulder as a reminder that I no longer have to carry this burden.
God has been so faithful! Even though I still don’t have everything figured out, I know that I need to trust whole heartedly that God is faithful.
“For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord”
Psalm 33:4-5
The reason why I share these testaments of god’s faithfulness is because we see in the Bible how quickly we often forget God’s faithfulness. As I have been re-reading and studying through the book of Joshua, I have noticed time and time again that they recounted times of God’s faithfulness and kept keepsakes of events where God was faithful to help them in their times of doubt. I encourage you to do the same. Write down stories of God’s faithfulness so that you can recount them in times of doubt.
How have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life lately??
