In August 2015, I received a new kind of gift: a giving gift. The necklace bore resemblance to several ordinary necklaces. Turning it over a few times in my hands, I realized my cousin still hadn’t said anything. On one side of the necklace was a cursive brand-name, and on the other was the word INSPIRE.
One of my passions is empowering others. I love helping people discover their passions. When my cousin gave me this gift, she told me I INSPIRE her. I was humbled by her words of affirmation. After receiving this necklace, I prayed God would use me to INSPIRE others around me and to understand true inspiration. I also prayed to know who to provide with this necklace. God always provides – He helped me change careers into ministry, allowed me to marry, and start my Master’s in Leadership all in the same year. When we allow God to move in us, it’s amazing what He can INSPIRE us to do.
Ultimately, I learned I desire to INSPIRE others to the Lord. While the avenues of my interest have grown and changed, the constant throughout them is showing others what it means to be loved authentically.
Mid 2017 I began mentoring one of my previous students from the high school ministry. I have had the great honor to watch her grow and change, truly blossoming into a confident, fun-loving, servant-hearted woman of God. She is emboldened by her need to love others, and boldly pursuing the Lord. This year, she has shared her testimony with several people in college classrooms, on the way to the cafeteria, and in her sorority. She is plugged into a local church and begins serving in the Kids ministry when she gets back to school mid-January. Already, she has had the opportunity to provide an old study Bible to a nonbeliever.
I love her heart for the Lord and the way she INSPIRES others around her – including me! – to love God, and love Him well. It is my pleasure to provide my Giving Key to her so she can someday pass it on to the next person God intends. And the list goes on.
-Alex
