Motivation Monday | Kelsey Baker

It's so rare in Lynchburg for church folks to mix. Thomas Road & Rivermont.  Blue Ridge & Hyland Heights. Oil & Water. But somehow through God's providence this Redeemer Presbyterian girl ended up mixing with the beautiful Kelsey Baker from Brentwood & our friendship is officially on the rise :)

When Robin invited me to be a part of the panel at her women's conference I had no idea what I was signing up for. She's just so darn charismatic that she can get anyone to sign up for just about anything.  When I arrived at Christine Kennedy's house for the panel get together I was immediately taken back by all the people I didn't know.  But I remember looking over at Kelsey and all of a sudden I felt right at home.  Robin said that we were all chosen to speak because we were at different stages of life.  I knew I was the married entrepreneur with no kids but I wondered what Kelsey's label was.  Then she dropped the bomb. 

ALMOST THIRTY & SINGLE.

I'll be honest with you.  When I realized that this gorgeous amazon of a woman had not yet found a suitable man I was utterly shocked.  Then I waited for my cue on how to respond.  So often women in this position immediately start speaking negatively when the subject of marriage or relationships pop up.

But not Kelsey.

When it was her turn to speak she just started pouring the word of God out of her heart like a geyser.  She talked about how her heart broke for women like her.  She truly wanted them to experience freedom and comfort in Christ.  Through her time relentlessly pursuing the Lord, she became rooted in her identity in Christ and it was written all over her face.  She was complete. The glow of the Holy Spirit radiated all over her as she raved about what the Lord had done in this season of her life. Instead of placing her life in neutral while she waited for God to provide, she made the decision to keep moving & fervently serve the Lord with all that she had.  

A few weeks after the Relentless Hope conference, Kelsey's status switched to "In a Relationship".  As happy as I was for her I wondered how she was handling this new found relationship.  As I took pictures of her she dropped one of the most profound sound bites I've ever heard.  She said,

It's so easy to cry to the Lord & seek Him in times of want.  Now my prayer is that I will continue to pursue Him in this time of blessing because He's worthy of that.

That's Kelsey in a nutshell.  What a woman ;)