faith + perspective

     Alright, so I had originally planned on updating almost all photos and everything on my blog here while I was in Israel, but let's be real - that's not gonna happen. I'm sorry to all that I have disappointed, but there are simply way too many sick places we've traveled too and I'm just so behind on trying to get all the photos up here. I mean..I barely get them on Facebook. So just friend request (or stalk if that's more of your preferred method...hah) me on Facebook and you'll be able to see all my photos there :)

     We spent two weeks in the northern part of Israel, in the Golan Heights in a little town called Katzrin. It was so nice to take a break and be in a quiet, more rural, neighborhood town for a couple weeks and explore hiking trails to waterfalls, bike rides, quiet walks, and beautiful nature everywhere. We also had our Life of Christ III class with the local pastor, Steve Flores, who will be the director here in Israel after this semester.

     My 20th birthday happened to fall during that time period, and well... I feel like I can brag that I had the most amazing birthday EVER. It started with a sunrise boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, then a mini-dance party on said boat, then touring places like the Mount of Beatitudes (where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount) and Capernaum. We all headed back, relaxed for a while, went on a walk, got interrogated (in the nicest way possible) by some of my friends, and then made dinner for everyone (first time making pad thai - turned out somewhat better than I hoped). All day I was just in awe of how good God is to me. Seriously, if any of you from the Israel campus this semester are reading this, please know that every single one of you blesses me so much and I can't believe how amazing of a group God has put together. I couldn't image a better way to end this wonderful season of Bible College.

Oh yeah..the end. of the season. 

Wait what?

     I thought it was just last month that I started my very first semester? Time has seriously flown by - two years to be exact. And with this time ending, I've been getting antsy, wanting to know what God's plan for my future is. I know I've already gone over how I feel about this before in a previous post, so I won't bore you all with repeating everything. But I know the Lord has given me peace about just waiting and resting in Him and enjoying every moment I have here in Israel. I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record, but it's just really something that the Lord has been speaking to me on.

     It was amazing to be able to be baptized in the Jordan River - the same river that my Lord was baptized in. As this new season is approaching, I just once again wanted to declare to the Lord that my life was His and that I truly desire to begin a life of ministry. I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, open to His moving. I guess you could say that a new chapter in this Jesus-filled adventure of life is now upon me, whether I feel like I'm ready or not.

     But with that, the Lord has also been showing me what it's like to have true heavenly perspective on life. In the past couple years, I've been grieving over my dad's death (which was in second grade). Learning more of the reality around his death has been difficult, but God has taught me so much. Mainly, that heaven is forever and this life is so short. Now, you may be thinking, "Yes Micaela, that's so obvious. I mean, that's probably one of the top quoted things in the Christian world." And as long as I've known this fact, I can tell you right now that I haven't really put that past head-knowledge in my own heart.
     It makes me really sad thinking about all the things I've missed with my dad, and all the things that I will miss with him in my future. He never saw me graduate high school. He will never be able to go on coffee dates with me. He will never be able to have fun jam sessions with me. He will never walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. He will never meet my future husband and children.  He will never be able to sit down with me and teach me about life from his experiences. He will never be able to make me laugh anymore. My heart aches in a way I can't explain in those ways.
     But you know what? I'm only on this world for maybe like 80-ish years (or maybe the Lord could just come back and I won't have to get old…yeah..I like that option). Then I am going to heaven for ETERNITY. Just sit and think for a second about what eternity means - far longer than anything I can even imagine.
     You see, my dad's not actually dead. Dead maybe in the world's eyes, but not God, not mine. He's in heaven rejoicing. In Joshua 19, Israel is officially all given their inheritance and fulfillment of all of God's promises by entering into the Promise Land after years and years of wandering in the desert.

Then it struck me, that's what my dad is experiencing - but amplified times a billion! He has every single one of God's promises fulfilled before his very eyes. He has fullness of true joy, no longer having to experience wandering in this painful world. He has gained his full inheritance. He has gained the full blessings and riches that the Lord has stored for him. He has gained the ultimate victory over death through Jesus, who made the way for him. And all this will never, ever be taken away from him for all of eternity.

"You will show me the path of life, in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 

~ Psalm 16:11 ~

My dad is F U L L

     And before I know it, I'll be there too. Just thinking about how crazy it is that I'm already 20 years old and how fast that's flown by makes me realize how short life truly is. How many things in this world actually don't really matter. There's only one thing, and that's Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation. Worrying about what I do and don't have here on earth is pretty meaningless. I won't be able to take anything with me. It's helped me loosen my grip on my dreams I have about my life here on this earth. The reality is, life is gonna be hard. 

// But what's even more real - eternity in the presence of the Lord //

     Guys, this world is passing away so quickly. When it's all over, what will you have left? When all the extra stuff is taken off, what will remain? I can tell you right now that having a heavenly perspective is one of the most freeing experiences that I've ever had. Unimaginable peace and unspeakable joy just flow despite life's suffering. The worries of life seem to fade away (definitely not to say you won't have worries, but they won't terrorize you in the same way). Perspective is a pretty amazing thing.

     If any of you need prayer, please please please contact me! I would love to pray for you. 

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many."

{2 Corinthians 1:8-11}