Life is Not About Me

by Elizabeth Woo
GLDI Class of 2009
Cornell University Graduate

Upon seeing an advertisement in the local Korean newspaper, I wanted to attend GLDI for my own reasons (my spiritual life had grown terrible, the past semester had been tough, I was emotionally exhausted) but as God would soon show, He had a bigger, better and dare I say, more global, plan in store for me. Not only did I get a jump-start back into my relationship with God through prayer and Bible reading, but I also experienced God stretching my heart for others during those six precious weeks. I was always pretty concerned about my spiritual health (have I been reading the Bible? do I feel close to God?) but during GLDI God blew me away with how vast His plan is compared to my very small-minded view of spirituality.

While God does love me very much, I learned that my life is not about me. That’s a hard one to swallow. It seems like an easy enough concept, but I had a difficult time living it out. Before GLDI, everything in my life, from my time, to activities to relationships, was about how it could benefit me. It was during this very special summer that God began to expand my heart. He first opened my heart toward GLDI brothers and sisters, and then gradually for the nations.

I realized how shallow I had kept my relationships with friends, including fellow believers–never confessing my sins or asking deep questions about others’ lives. I didn’t want to bother with other peoples’ problems because it would be burdensome for me, and I didn’t see how I could help at all. A “solo saint” for most of my life, I usually kept to myself, with bouts of pastoral guidance here and there. But then we had the 12-hour prayer rally at GLDI, which soon became my favorite moment of GLDI. That night was absolutely divine. One of the brothers shared a verse from James, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). It was then that I took the mic and began confessing sins that I’d bottled up for the past four years. I shared the ugliest things, the things that I thought no one else struggled with or understood. As I confessed each sin, one by one, I experienced an instantaneous healing in my soul. Contrary to what I’d expected, I was not judged by the other GLDI students but rather, embraced and prayed for all the more.

Beginning the next day people would say things like, “You look really different –as if this shadow casting on your face weren’t there anymore,” “Like a thousand weights had been lifted off your shoulders,” “Your face is glowing.” My relationships at GLDI deepened dramatically, and I became more warm and open. When I got back to school people saw a change in me, and these days many people have been coming to me for advice, or just someone to talk to when they want to feel loved. This is a miracle. I was not like this before! I had been stingy with my time and my energy but God has transformed me and made me radically generous. This is the power of the cross.

If that weren’t wonderful enough, God also stretched my heart for the Kingdom of God and for the nations. Before GLDI the Kingdom of God was a vague concept that meant nothing to me, and global missions seemed like an activity for “overachieving” Christians. I had been content with being a good member of my church and serving on a ministry team, even being a part of a small group. However, God revealed to me during times of prayer and fasting, that I had lacked a longing for the Lord’s appearing and that I was not laboring for the cause of world evangelization. He made the correlation between the two so clear and I realized that reaching to the nations was not a superfluous endeavor but actually central to God’s heart.

I cannot thank God enough for the priceless experiences I had at GLDI. The relationships I developed were some of the deepest and most encouraging bonds I’ve ever formed. Rooted in the gospel and based on God, our solid rock–my friends and I are able to share our ugliest of sins and still feel loved because we know His wonderful forgiveness. Knowing that I have a league of people praying for me and supporting me all over the states is deeply comforting, especially when I need a lot of prayer. I can’t express how much love I have for my new “family” who has taught me much more than they may know, and I have never encountered such a loving staff from any other organization. GLDI is another clear reminder of God’s generous and wonderful provision in my life. I will remember it forever and cannot thank Him enough for this “heaven on earth” experience. God is truly good. He is so, so good.