Today on the blog I’m featuring a guest post from the incredible Brandi Goff McElheny.
I’ve become acquainted with Brandi through a couple of outstanding on-line groups. I’ll let Brandi tell you her story, but please make sure you click-through the links at the bottom of the post to learn more about the great work she is doing around the world. Enjoy!
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I’m living my dreams….or at least most of them J
I’m a single mama to 3 and I run 3 non-profits. I get to spend my days walking wounded people to truth, beauty and healing. I get to spend hours every day on skype with my Ugandan team working towards healing and long-term sustainability for 968 single mamas and widows in Uganda. Last week, I got to wire $50,000 to Uganda so that 900 kids could go to school again. I’ve gotten to go undercover in brothels throughout SE Asia to see the oppressed set free. These are the things my dreams were made of for so long. I longed with everything in me to be used by God for His kingdom. I longed to loose the chains of injustice and be a part of setting the oppressed free.
People ask me fairly regularly what they can do to find and then live their passions and change the world around them. Want to know my best piece of encouragement?
Do your work.
No, I’m not talking about working harder or longer hours. I’m not taking about strategic planning or a 5-year plan.
I’m talking about doing your emotional work, your spiritual work, your healing work. Wanna be a world-changer? Go to therapy.
A few years ago, my life fell apart. Completely. Utterly. I dropped out of everything ministry related in those months. I wasn’t helping a single soul. I did nothing for the kingdom of God. I questioned if I would ever be used by God again. I felt guilty for dropping everything, but in those moments it took all my energy to simply breathe.
There’s one thing I did not drop during those days, however, and that is me.
For the first time actually, I began to really observe my own soul. I gave up working for Jesus and I took time to be wounded and broken and to get to know the healer of all healers. I let Jesus deep into my darkest places and simply took time to heal. I went to therapy weekly (sometimes more!) and asked for help in digging into what is good and pure in my life and what was wounded and dysfunctional.
During my months of hiding out in the shadow of His wings, where I focused on healing and my own soul exclusively, I wondered if I was being selfish. What I would later learn, however, is that the best thing I have EVER done for the kingdom of God is my own healing work.
Healing begets healing. Freedom begets freedom.
Since taking that year to focus on healing, I have gotten to walk with countless women through their deepest, darkest wounds to beautiful healing. Since that year of focus on freedom for myself and breaking through my own chains, I have gotten to watch trafficking victims be brought to freedom and raised over 100k to make it happen. Since that year of focusing on learning my own value, I have had the honor of speaking to thousands of Ugandan women on their value.
We can only give what we have received.
So go. Receive. Heal. Be free. Sink into Jesus’ true view of you.
I promise, doing your own healing work is the best thing you will ever do for yourself, or for the kingdom of God. Wanna be a world-changer? Go to Therapy! J
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