By Callie Bolemon
I struggled to narrow down what I specifically wanted to share with you all. I could share our time spent at Cornerstone School as we jump into a seventh and eighth grader’s life and hope they feel seen and cared for as we work through some math problems, or the hour after when Heather and I get our hair braided by a first grader who just finished her Cheetos, or time spent at work as we wrestle with the Lord on our vocation and the innate things He’s gifted us in and how to use them best for the sake of the Kingdom, or our Friday classes as we grapple with new ideas and inevitably realize that while “Jesus might be in our heart, grandpa really is in our bones” (Andrew Clark) and all the implications that come with that. Or could it be time spent at church where the most Kingdom-minded thing we could do for thirty minutes is play tag with some fourth graders? Or to share about the times I’ve found myself on a family’s couch whose door is always open, packed in with twelve other people that I didn’t know existed two months ago, as we laugh at the day’s work stories and pass around yet another round of rice Krispy treats.
Yes, I could delve deep into each of these things but as I was asking the Lord which one to share, it hit me how each of these things touch on something deep in me that I love. For me, stepping into a new city, this one especially, was a “pipe dream” of mine for years until it wasn’t. Until the Lord saw fit to swing door after door wide open, inviting me in and asking me to walk. Until I looked behind me and realized that the Lord is really, really faithful in stewarding the passions of our hearts, even when it seems nothing but. There are parts of my new “normal” routine here in Northern Virginia, that I wasn’t so sure of at first or was wondering if the Lord had missed it, or if I’m really honest, was the most efficient option.
And yet, as I find myself almost two months in, I can confidently say that the Lord not only stewards well the passions and gifts He’s given us (some of those having stirred them up years ago) but is faithful to steward our hearts well in the process. Throughout my summers in college, I had the opportunity to work at camp, and frequently, jokingly, we would ask each other who their “keeper” was. We came up with a “keeper” tree and referred to it constantly. It was a silly reference, but at the root of the question we wanted to know who was your steady, safeguard, and confidant. The one that seems to know you well and just gets you. It’s been apparent to me that the Lord really is our keeper and is sovereign over all things, including the matters of my heart, even the tough matters and the things I didn’t think “mattered” much anymore.
Psalm 121 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (ESV).
We walk confidently through each of these things as we soak it in and try to steward it well but we rest in the fact that He is the best keeper of our souls. For if he sees fit to lead us in a different direction than what we perceive is best and when He opens the door to our wildest “pipe dreams”, we trust His sovereignty and rest in His character, because as Jeremiah said,
“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17 ESV).
Callie Bolemon is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2024-25. She is from Monroe, GA, and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. This year, she is working in the U.S. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill.
Pictures From The Week
Jack, Callie, Libby, Thomas, and Will ventured to the White House last Sunday to go on the Fall Garden Tour. Yay intern connections!
Jack hosted a bonfire after we went to the YoungLife Capernaum talent show on Wednesday night and Logan lived up to his name and built a booming fire.
Curtis is back! While still recovering from his knee surgery, he’s been able to attend more events and we’re really grateful!
Sweet treat o’clock! Heather ran to the Circle K to grab mid-class treats — we’re all about the essentials over here.
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About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring, and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
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