just let me go.

This past year, the Great Commission has become a huge spot in my heart, and I've been dwelling on those verses a lot. In Matthew, chapter 28, verses 19 and 20, we are not called but commanded to go to all the nations and spread the Gospel. We are to go, we are to make disciples, and we are to teach them all that He's commanded us. It's our command to go.

So, I've wanted to go. I've wanted to get out of Augusta, and I've wanted to take the Gospel to some of those six thousand people groups that HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE GOSPEL. I've wanted to sell all my stuff, say au revoir, hop on a plane, and never look back. I've wanted to go with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

And I went....sort of. I went to North Carolina, thinking that this would be a start for me. Thinking that going to camp where a bunch of kids don't know Jesus Christ would be perfect for me. I could tell them about Jesus, show them about His love, and share the Gospel with these kids. Yet, I never even got to see these kids. I didn't get that far. I got three days into staff training and then the Lord made it VERY clear to me that He wanted me home. So, here I am.

I was in the car with a friend the other day, and we had a twenty or so minute drive ahead of us. He says to me, "So, after you get your degree, do you want to stay in Augusta or what?" Boy, did he just open up a can of worms or what. I proceed to tell him for the next ten minutes or so about how I would so go to a foreign country if the Lord called me to that. I told him how I've struggled this past semester with staying in college and not going far away to tell others about Christ. I fully expected him to say something along the lines of, "Oh that's so awesome. I totally admire that." But, he didn't. He said some hard stuff to me. He said, "You know, Ashton, God has you here in Augusta for a reason. Go for it. Don't spend all of college waiting to be done so you can go and share the Gospel in other places. Share it here. Take advantage of this time in your life, because you'll never have these years back." He went on for a while, and I was honestly stumped and sort of ticked. Did he really just say those things to me?

I mulled over his words for the rest of the day and into that night. I started to get upset about the whole thing, and I was sort of mad at him for saying what he said. Didn't he see that I had this great plan to share the Gospel with lots of different people? Shouldn't he be proud of me for that?

Then the Lord softened my heart. I began to see my friend's words for what they were---wise, biblical counsel. Instead of being upset about what he had said, I was grateful. My perspective changed. I shouldn't just be waiting to leave Augusta to share the Gospel; I should be sharing it IN Augusta. The Lord obviously wanted me in Augusta this summer. He obviously wanted me in my house, teaching a girls' Bible study, interning for free, and sharing the Gospel through all of it. I can't go to the nations this summer, but I can go outside my front door. I'm going to try my hardest to go this summer and share the Gospel throughout Augusta.

P.S. Loving this verse:
"Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." - Proverbs 15:22