By Keia Blair

What is the Lord teaching me?

What a loaded question. It seems that every conversation I have had lately has started with this question, which actually makes me realize two things — I need to share more of what the Lord is teaching me with others, and people actually do want to hear about what the Lord is teaching me.

The Lord is actually teaching me to share with others what he is teaching me, so here I go. I’m here to be vulnerable and raw and to share with you every aspect of what the Lord was teaching me this month in Zambia.

Everything that my entire existence longs for is found in the Father. He is the only consistency that will ever be in my life. He gives love, grace, mercy, value, worth, forgiveness and acceptance.

The Lord answers prayers. The big, the small, the good, the bad, he answers them faithfully in all of his goodness.

To find that sweet community of women and stick with them. Find friends who speak life and truth over you in love.

Sometimes, calling people into deeper things is hard.

Sometimes, we have to step aside to let God inside.

Learning how to say, “Lord, this is what I want, but if it’s not what you have for me, then I know what you have for me is even better.”

Just like any relationship, our relationship with the Father takes time, too, but I will get there.

To acknowledge where I was, to where I am now, to where I’m going.

Completely surrendering looks a lot like uncomfortability.

Our God is a god of restoration and healing, and he is big.

The Lord wants us to make goals, expectations and hopes for ourselves that are actually tangible, fun and not so serious.

Calling people into deeper things takes a lot of courage, but the Lord gives us that courage. I have to trust him and let him be God.

There will be setbacks and downfalls, but mercy triumphs over judgment.

It’s easy to see where I want to be but easy to forget that it takes time to get there. Trust the process.

You can’t hold the banner of victim and victory at the same time. I actually have the privilege of trusting in Christ, but I also have the privilege of suffering for him.

My story matters, and sometimes, it is hard to share.

It is OK to rest.

The Lord creates the space for us to grow deeper in him and in one another.

The Lord continually reminds me, “Don’t get too far ahead of me.”

“Lord, I can’t choose 160 days, but I can choose today.”

I am always praying to the Lord, but when I actually take the time to be quiet and listen, he answers so many prayers.

I am thankful for friends who call me into deeper things.

It’s sweet when we bring Jesus into everything we do because there is room for grace. It’s not a failure, just room for growth.

The Lord loves when we sacrifice things for him.

The Lord is in every little and big detail of our lives.

The Lord understands my questioning and my doubts, and it’s on those days where Satan tries to swoop in that the Lord actually shows up the most. He is my God on the easy days, and he is my God on the hard days.

I actually want to step into uncomfortability because it’s in the hardest days where we see the Lord the most.

Jesus gives us the things we ask for because he loves us.

The Lord taught me a lot of cool things this past month. A lot of serious things but also a lot of not so serious things, too, so of course, I have to share those, as well. The Lord taught me…

I actually hate flies. They are pests from Satan.

A fan is one of the sweetest blessings from the Lord.

Sleeping with lizards is not so fun.

Ice-cold water is something I will never take for granted again.

The African sun is real, and it burned my skin off.

The Lord is cool. He’s sweet, and sometimes, he is even real funny. He has a sense of humor, and above all else, he loves when we have joy for him. He’s a sweet Father who loves his children so much that he gives us the opportunity to be in constant fellowship with him each and every day.

Keia Blair is a Seymour native who attends Cincinnati Christian University. During her nine-month mission trip around the world, she is submitting a series of blogs that will appear in The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected]