How I Really Got To Hawaii

So how did I land myself on a rock in the middle of the ocean? I used to not know why or how it happened, but now that I am here I finally understand. And here it is: I said yes.

I was confused with what to do with my future. I knew I was destined for something big, but I was looking for it in the wrong places. When I started looking for colleges, I thought I would stand out by going somewhere far away. And that did happen, but not in the way I had perceived.

Senior year it became my goal to find a college I liked in California. Something was calling me there and I knew it would cool on the resume of life to attend a university in that state. So I searched, and searched, and searched, for the perfect one. I thought I had found it, but I didn’t have a chance of getting in and it was ridiculously expensive. My dreams were crushed, my mind was a mess and my heart kept pulling at things I didn’t have an understanding of.

Good thing I have a God that already knows my plans. I was lost and it was the spring of my senior year. I had to make decisions and I had to make them now. It was when I said, “God I have nothing left. I am confused and I don’t know where to go. I give you my life God. Where will I find you?” that he showed me where to go.

At first, I thought I wasn’t worthy of Hawaii. I thought that it would be a blessing that I didn’t deserve. But here’s what I have been learning: God blesses his sons and daughters no matter what. For a person who used to think God loved me more when I performed well by reading his word everyday or praying for a certain amount of time, I was floored by this realization.

You see, I didn’t earn Hawaii. I didn’t get a 4.0 gpa or a 36 on the ACT. I don’t have hundreds of verses of the Bible memorized and I didn’t have my life perfectly in line before I came here (still don’t). But here’s the thing, I had a yes. I had an obedience in my heart that God called out. And with that, came the blessing. God said to me, “Madeline I’m going to take you farther than where you think you are going to go.”

We had Eric Johnson from Bethel speak to our school about blessings and my life finally made sense. His message to us was that God’s blessings are abundant because he is an abundant God. He actually wants to bless us so much, that it makes us uncomfortable. The blessings make us uncomfortable, so all we can do is give him the glory. God blessed me out the wazoo and still is. He wants to take you above your needs. He wants to treat his sons and daughters like royalty.

So now I’m here on a giant rock in the middle of no where. But I was actually created for it. I was created to be here to learn about God so that I can tell the nations about his love. I am a fiery eyed revivalist. I am created to bring people into salvation. Little me on a little island. And God brought me here because he knew I would say yes.

All it takes is your yes. If you are struggling with your next step in life, lay it down. God already has the plan, he is just waiting for you to look at him. And once you do, who knows, you could end up on this little rock in the middle of the ocean.