My roommate, Melvelisse is an inspiration in my life and I am so grateful for her. She's only twenty-two but in those years has overcome more than anyone should in a lifetime.
She's had to be the parent to her sister, and even at times to her parents. She has worked long hours and weekends to make ends meet and never complained. She is selfless, full of fortitude and grace in all that she does.
What I admire the most is her steadfast desire to follow God in all that she does. Her word for 2016 is Wonder which God laid on her heart while at Hillsong New York's Christmas service. She hopes to never lose the wonder of God's great work in her and in the world. She hopes to never lose the wonder of s smiling face or a deep belly laugh. She hopes to never lose the wonder in a sunrise or a sunset.
Recently, we were at a place called the Prayer Room jn a Charlottes where we live. There is a board there that says Before I Die I Want To ______. She wrote the word 'free'. I hope that she can be free from all of her insecurities, burdens, and pain and they them at the feet of Jesus. I hope she can never lose the wonder of grace that is only found in Jesus.
I'm giving her this key as a birthday present but mostly as a reminder that she is called to wonder, called to love and be loved.