As I finish out my last month on the Race I thought it would be helpful for any future or current Racer out there to know that it is normal to go through periods of feeling low on the Race. 11 months is a long time – long enough for you to go through different seasons of feeling both high and low. It would be wonderful if we could go through this experience and having nothing but a great time spent on those spiritual mountain tops. But as we all know, life and Satan have a way of bringing us down, and bringing us down hard.
I’ve had my fair share of sicknesses this year on the Race, but oddly enough my time spent having Dengue Fever, being hospitalized for a week with Pneumonia and being bed ridden for 2 weeks with arthritis were not my worst months on the Race. They were actually some of the most rewarding months because I grew closer to God.
Could it be mere coincidence that my worst months on Race have come towards the end when I have been aiming to fight the good fight and run the Race with endurance? I highly doubt it. Satan knows I’ve had life changing year abroad, and the last thing this sneaky snake wants is for me to return back home with a full heart, confidence in Christ, and the desire to live daily in Chris’t footsteps. He has definitely put some road blocks in my way, and I am sad to say that I let him get the best of me.
Month 9 in Kenya started off great. I had my dad come out for Parent Vision Trip (PVT) and had an absolute blast sharing the World Race experience with him. But when I left PVT and returned to my team, I felt like I had fallen from the top of the mountain and was down in a valley. I can’t explain how or why I went from a sudden high to a sudden low, but it just happened. Perhaps it was that I didn’t particularly care for the ministry that month, or because I was tired of being called “mzungu” 24/7. But I am certain that it was Satan behind it.
This low unfortunately carried over into month 10 in Nepal where I found it a real struggle to be happy and connect with our ministry. I retreated to my room most of the time and did not make much of an attempt to try to be present in the moment. Instead, I chose the easy and more comfortable route and chose to get lost in planning the next upcoming travel day for the squad and watch movies instead of leaning into Christ when I needed Him most.
I say all of this not to say its “okay” to have crappy months on the Race, but I say all of this to say that you can change your crappy months into happy months on the Race. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20, and I wish I would’ve taken the advice from our squad coordinator, Hope, to heart. She sent us an email in month 9 and told us about how her month 10 was a low time for her as well. She encouraged us to lean in to Christ even when it is difficult and hard because we will look back and wish we would’ve tried harder. And boy, was she right! I chose to let her advice go in one ear and out the other, but now I wish I would’ve given it my absolute all and actually run that part of the Race with endurance.
If you are thinking about doing the World Race or currently on the World Race PLEASE know that you don’t have to let Satan get the best of you! You do not need to have crappy months on the Race. This is a year where you are impacting the lives of others and a year where you are learning and growing so much in your walk with Christ, so obviously Satan is going to attack you in any way that he can. Pray hard against his spiritual attacks. Be open and honest with your teammates about your struggles. Take the constructive feedback to heart. Heck, ask your teammates for MORE constructive feedback.
But most importantly, don’t be afraid to put on the Armor of God daily:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
(Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV)
My hope and prayer is that you will not waste any of your time on the Race. 11 months is a long time, but it doesn’t mean you should waste a single day of it. Please learn from my mistake and do not let yourself have a crappy two months because you are too lazy to do anything about it. Your time on this Race is way too valuable to waste a single second of it! So fight the good fight, and run this Race with endurance. There is a reason why you are where you are today, so don’t let it go to waste any longer!
