Written by Sammi O’Neal, Wire Small Groups Coordinator

I really didn’t want to write this blog post.

I can put a proper sentence together and I actually enjoy editing papers, but I don’t have an impressive vocabulary or consider myself to have a real way with words.

The truth is, I just had no clue what topic to write about and I couldn’t decide what kind of “writer” I wanted to be. Should I be down to earth and witty, or smart and inspiring? I had no idea! When I couldn’t decide on the tone of it all, I tried to think back on my life and find a story I could slip Jesus into, tie a bow at the end of it and put “devotional writer” on my resume! But my walk with Jesus didn’t begin until my early twenties – so my years of stories were sort of limited. The only topic coming to my mind was…I really don’t want to write this blog post. Knowing I had to get something on paper, I decided to think about why I was so against the assignment. It had already been assigned to me for a few weeks when I was in a meeting and my supervisor Daniel said, “I like being uncomfortable. It keeps me from settling.” Then it hit me like a ton of bricks:

This is uncomfortable.

I heard this phrase and started thinking back on my walk with Jesus –  what He has taught me and what He is showing me right now – and I realized where I am today is all because of uncomfortable events where I felt nervous about a particular choice but decided to listen to the small, still voice in my head. The three mentionables…

• I visited NewSpring with a friend and her family, carrying my baggage right along with me. Uncomfortable.
• I applied to volunteer in student ministry with absolutely no experience of serving anyone but myself. Uncomfortable.
• Two years later, I graduated from dental hygiene school – but somehow, someway was offered a position to work in student ministry and I took it. Deciding not to pursue the career I had planned on doing for years…Crazy, uncomfortable! Yet, Best. Decision. Ever.

I look back at these three decisions (and there are many more in between) and realize how right my boss was, and how incredible the Land of Uncomfortable is! You can dream up ideas about how your life is supposed to look, make plans, pursue goals, have expectations for what you think your life is best. But the truth is, we serve a God who has way bigger plans for us than we could ever dream-up on our own.

He likes to make us think and not just give us all the answers. He wants us to lean on Him for support and walk through the tension with Him, working in us, through us, and transforming us. When situations don’t feel tense, we tend to assume we can figure it all out on our own. This leaves little room for growth and a lot less room for God to accomplish His plans.

God does incredible things in the Land of Uncomfortable, so embrace the tension and listen to His voice. He has great plans for you!

By Makayla Veatch, KidzWorld Assistant, NewSpring Church

“A kid has obvious potential the day he or she is born. Every phase of their life reminds us they are fearfully and wonderfully made.”- It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It, Reggie Joiner and Kristin Ivy.

As many of you may know, our Big Idea a couple months ago in 252 was Individuality, and discovering who you are meant to be so you can make a difference. To me one of the most important things a kid should know is that they can make a difference in the world no matter who they are, how old they are, where they came from, who they live with, etc… We live in a world today that disregards the amazing and untapped potential of kids and it breaks my heart to see so many of them go unnoticed. When I first started volunteering in KidzWorld about 4 years ago, I learned something rather quickly: you should never underestimate a child at any age, at any time, for any reason–because they are capable of more than anyone can imagine! Every kid has been given the talents they have by God because He has a plan for each and every one of them. Whether it be for them to become a doctor to heal people, a teacher to help kids learn, a pastor to teach people how much God loves them, or even just a stay at home parent to foster their own children’s unique talents, God has given them the skill set they need to accomplish it!

The biggest reason that I absolutely love my job is because there are so many different personalities and the kids aren’t afraid to show theirs. You  may have seen the past couple of weeks the banner that was hanging up in 252 that had the prompt “How do you show your Individuality?” The kids loved drawing a picture of their talents and skills or even just drawing their name in a fancy way! It’s just so awesome to see these amazing kids growing up and showing their individuality and letting their light shine for God every weekend!