I moved to Detroit on August 31 2015, ten days after my 23^rd birthday.  I had graduated from college a few months prior and had spent the summer working and fundraising, with everything leading to a year of service in YouthWorks-Detroit.  I was holding off on other work, grad school, the prospect of a relationship, being with friends and family, and a year of Michael in control of Michael’s life (I’ve had a lot of those).  I didn’t have a lot figured out when I moved, and I still don’t have much figured out now. Actually, I take that back.  I know a lot more than I did before, but my questions and moments of ignorance seem to be multiplying as well.  But God is working on my heart in a particular way here, and I see God move in Detroit in ways that I’ve never seen elsewhere.

There are so many things that I’ve learned in the past few months here, but there are a couple that particularly stand out.  One is that service, in the truest sense of the word, is based solely on love, and is thus extremely humble and understated.  It’s not glamorous or self-centered, nor does it seek attention or acclaim.  It’s about broken, imperfect people helping other broken, imperfect people.  It’s hard work, and it requires sacrifice and dedication and being faithful to someone or something.  

I’m fortunate to be able to live and work with some incredible people who know what it means to serve, and who live it out wholeheartedly.  They call me on to press forward and choose for love every day. I’m so thankful that there are others here who are doing the Lord’s work and laying a foundation for something great. All I’m doing is plugging in and playing my small part, joining with them in one larger mission.  Knowing that gives me an underlying peace and contentment that I know comes from God alone.

The other big thing is realizing how little you really need in life to get by.  You get out of school and the whole world is in front of you, and there are so many things you can aspire to. Your perspective grows, as life becomes a melting pot of work, relationships, leisure, finances, responsibilities, time management, and everything else that comes with becoming an adult.  But in all of that, I think there’s a really beautiful simplicity that has become clearer to me. I have God, the significant people in my life, and the work that I feel called to (at least for the moment).  And for right now, that’s all I need.

There’s so much background noise in our lives, but at the heart of it, it comes down to whether God is enough.  God’s really challenging me this year to put everything else aside and to follow Him with everything that I am. It’s an ongoing process and one that I continually struggle with, but that is ultimately what God is teaching me here in Detroit. He’s breaking me down so He can rebuild me.  By giving a year to serve and putting other things on the back-burner, I experience freedom and grace to follow Him more fully than I have before. It’s a year set apart for a life set apart.  I’m thankful that He’s called me to this adventure and that He continues to shape me into who He wants me to be, even though it can be hard at times.  I don’t have much figured out, but I can trust that, for right now, I’m where I’m supposed to be.

• Broken and Beautiful, by Chelsea Duff
• Finding Peace Through Christ, by Jerel Merrill
• Called, by Fran Dunlop
• He Ain't Done With Me, by Ryan Corr
• God Is Enough For Me, by Grace Fahd
• God Is My Rock, by Peter Mayoros