All people strive for independence. We don’t like to admit that we need help or are incapable of doing something, even when it may be blatantly obvious that this is the case! In our pride, it can be very easy to act like we have it all together and will do just fine on our own, thank you very much. But this is not what God has created us for.
In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul states: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” According to these verses, true fruits of righteousness can never be produced on our own; that’s why Christ came! The Bible humbles us by clearly showing what are God’s standards of holiness (love, discernment, purity, and blamelessness, to name a few), and anyone who is willing to be honest about themselves would say that they could never accomplish these things on their own. God created us to need His help – to need Him! This truth is made clear to our interns very quickly, as they work hard to be a leader to young ladies who are struggling with very difficult issues. There is nothing more humbling than to be put in a position in which you have no idea what you are supposed to do. But along with humility, God also grows our interns in their faith and trust in Him. He never lets us down, and He calls us to rely on Him in times where we are so insufficient. When we are inadequate, He is always more than enough! Yes, He seeks to humble us, but He is also faithful to build us up and encourages us with the fact that He is always there ready to help in our time of need.
One of our current interns, Michaela, came to us in July 2014. She recently shared with me what God has been teaching her about her need for God’s love and grace each day, and I am very pleased to share this with you. Please be encouraged, as Michaela shares how she has been challenged in her need for the Lord:
“I think one of the biggest things God has shown me all throughout the last 8 months of my internship is my deep need for Him, and that I can’t do anything apart from Him. I think growing up in church, over the years, I lost sight of the beauty of the Gospel, not realizing that I need it just as much today as I did when I first got saved. This year, God has shown me how truly great and beautiful His love for me is, and how much I constantly need it. Apart from it I have nothing. As I look back over my internship so far, I see many different areas where God has been growing me in seeing my need to rely on Him to be able to love and serve others as He would; and the more I recognize I can’t do anything on my own, the more He reveals His grace and faithfulness to me. I love how it is written in John 15:5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.‘”
How awesome it is that God chooses to use our internship program to challenge and grow young ladies in many extraordinary ways! We are always looking for more interns, and if you are interested in receiving more information about our internship, contact Jenn Heikkinen at jheikkinen@faithlafayette.org.
