Come to the Water, Taste and See

I love the cross. I love the fact that when Jesus died on the cross it meant that we could come before Him as we are.

I knew coming to college would be a growing experience and I would learn more about myself and meet new people and hopefully grow in my relationship with Jesus. God’s response to that thought in my head was, “Hey Lo, that’s cute.” Yeah… that was cute because God revealed Himself in my life so heavily and He did way more than I could have ever expected I’m still trying to process everything that He has done.

Growing in a Christian home has been easily one of the biggest blessings in my life because it gave me an incredible foundation and understanding of how God designed a home that strives to honor and serve Him. My mom once told me, “Lauren, no matter how far you think you’ve fallen from God, I’ve watched you always find your way back to Him.” That is only true because Jesus rooted Himself so deep into my soul at such a young age that that’s all I’ve ever known. My second home, Bayside Church, helped increase my knowledge in the truths of the Bible and equip me to stand firm in my faith in this crazy and chaotic world that we live in.

Now you have the background of my life, which has played a huge part in who I am today.

In a nutshell, I have encountered the fullness of God’s presence, witnessed the undeniable power of God, watch lives irrevocably changed in the name of Jesus, and cultivate God-honoring friendships with people who are wholeheartedly sprinting after Jesus. I truly didn’t expect God to take me so far outside of my comfort zone that I would come back home an entirely new individual transformed by His overwhelming grace with an identity that is firmly built up in the Lord.

My life group with Mosaic Community Church is filled with people who are constantly brought to their knees because they have given themselves over to Jesus.

They have surrendered.

They have surrendered their own desires, their sins, and their souls to Jesus, the founder and the perfector.

That is not an easy thing to do; I know this from personal experience. I was absolutely wrecked for a few weeks about four months ago when God stripped away every impurity from me and it didn’t feel good at all if I’m going to be honest. I’ve never liked getting in trouble or dealing with consequences from a young age. I got a pink slip in second grade for taking two candy bars instead of one and almost died of shame.

Dealing with sin and realizing that I actually deserve hell isn’t necessarily something I want to think about as a college student trying to maintain friendships and focus on school. And guess what? Even after those few weeks when I was distraught after that revelation that I’m a stone cold sinner, I have actually continued to fail Him.

But I realized something very important. Something that answers so many questions to so many people and has changed my relationship with God.

**If completely fixing myself until I’m seemingly perfect is the only way to walking intimately with the Lord, then I will never walk intimately with the Lord**

I learned through people in my life group that Jesus wants me to come to Him with my heart and that means letting go of guilt and shame. That’s the whole point of the gospel.

Going to church and talking about your faith is not good enough. We are called to be gold that can only be purified by God. The only way gold can be purified is by being put in the fire. Yes, that means we do have to go through some fire in order to reach a raw and deep relationship with God. No, that is not fun in any way. Yes, that is absolutely scary. But, it is so worth it I can’t even express it in words.

Having a mediocre faith may get you so far, but hungering after Jesus and tasting His love is something that I will never give up. I literally feel like I’m dying when I’m not perfectly in step with the Spirit. I want more of Him all the time. I literally ask Him to pour His presence down on me. He has set such a huge fire in my soul that I literally feel the burning sensation from the Holy Spirit. I crave that feeling every second that when I feel it again I can’t contain myself. I have been absolutely wrecked for and by Jesus.

This is what I have taken away from my first year of college. Jesus. That is all. He has been the source of my growth this year and I do not say that lightly.

He is enough. He is all I need. He is all I want. More of Jesus, forever and ever and ever.

Return to Him, Repent for your sins, be Renewed, receive Redemption, and Rejoice in this freedom. (Isaiah in a nutshell)

Blessings,

Lo