"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:16-19.
This passage was shared at Friday Night Worship last night, and God totally spoke to me through it. My time left at Hope before I go study abroad is drawing to a close, and it has been freaking me out this week. I live with three seniors and I have lots of other senior friends or friends who are going abroad next year. Who knows if I will see them again on this earth? I have had the best semester of my Hope career and its ending so soon. It's been easy to think that God must not want me to be very happy for very long, or that there is no way things will be good like this again for a long time. It's very easy to think that I don't deserve it. These are lies. Going to China is God's plan for my life, just as being here is His plan for my life this semester. Out of the center of His will is not where I want to be. I'm not supposed to be here next semester. However, my heart is breaking. I don't want to leave the friendships that I have just formed. I just got here.
And yet, God spoke to me through Ephesians. I am rooted and established in love. Right now, I feel rooted in where I live and in the love of many of the friendships that I have. I have truly seen Christ's love through these relationships. It's easy to feel that this temporary situation is where my roots are, and to be upset that I'm going to leave. And then I realize- my DEEPEST roots are in Christ, and Him alone. And I have Him WHEREVER I go. I see how deep and wide and long and high His love is. All good things come from Him. Even my earthly roots come from Him. He loves me so much that I can never hope to comprehend- and I am promised His fullness. No matter what, I am rooted in Him.
