My Values: Focus on the Lord and the freedom found in Him.
God first.
God takes first place in my life and drawing nearer to Him each and every day is my most important mission in this life. The closer I am to Him, the more I am able to live out His calling over my life and tell others about Him. I often think about the simplicity of the Gospel. All we have to do is believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, submit our lives to Him, and we can be with Him forever in eternity. I want God to be glorified through every action in my life and in every decision I make. As a ministry leader, I want my ministry to not be about myself and the work that I put into it, but I pray that it is most importantly about the Lord.
Self-care.
Throughout the years, I have learned the importance of caring for myself in the midst of caring for others. I used to always care for others more than I would care for myself. We have to care for ourselves first because from our cup is what we will give others.
I believe that true self-care comes first from taking care of our personal relationship with the Lord and through that, we have the wisdom and insight to care for ourselves in other ways. My personal time with the Lord is so incredibly important to me and what grounds me and allows me to do His will here on Earth. I love Matthew 6:6 and how it describes our time alone with the Lord- "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." As a ministry leader, I want to be healthy from the inside out so that I can serve the Lord and not burn out.
Authenticity.
I strive to be someone who is authentic and transparent. I want to be the same person on Sunday as I am on a Tuesday evening. By keeping God first and by caring for myself, this allows me to open my heart to the Lord and ask Him to search my heart for anything that may be taking me farther away from Him. I want others to see my life as a reflection of what it means to truly follow Christ. I want to be open and honest in the fact that I am not perfect and that I fall short each and every day, but I serve a God who is perfect and is full of so much grace. I am not saved by my works, but by grace through faith.
Community-based.
I believe one of the best things that the Lord has created is community. His church creates one of the most beautiful communities that exists here on earth. Being a part of a strong, godly community is so incredibly important. My dream is to create an online community for girls around the world to experience the love and worth that comes from knowing and believing in Jesus.
Freedom Focused.
As a follower of Christ, I am called to live in freedom and call others to live in that freedom as well. Freedom is so important to me because I lived so many years of my life believing the lies of condemnation, guilt, and shame from the devil. In Christ, there is no condemnation, no guilt, and no shame. When we come before Jesus, we are met with grace upon grace. What if we all lived out our freedom in Christ? What if we all were focused on the freedom found in Jesus' death on the cross?
By putting God first, I am able to care for myself so that I can care for others. True authenticity and freedom is found in community with God's people.
