Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what the season of preparation really is. And honestly, I find myself extremely annoyed by it because I feel like I’m constantly in the season of preparation. Like, when am I going to get where I’m headed? When am I going to feel like all this preparing is paying off? Someone told me something this week about preparation that was really refreshing. She said, “you’re going to feel like you’re always in a season of preparation because God will have something new for you after you’ve accomplished one thing, he doesn’t want you to be complacent”. That’s such a true and profound statement. I don’t want to feel like there’s nothing left for me once I’ve accomplished the first thing God has prepared for me. If we ever get to a point where we feel like we’re not preparing for something, we’ve lost sight of what God is doing in our lives.
As I’m preparing for the World Race, I’m having to do fundraisers, buy equipment, and think about what things need to be taken care of before I leave in September. This preparation season is teaching me to really rely on God, first of all, for my sanity. This time can be really stressful when I think about everything this entails, but He is keeping me pretty calm and worry-free (most days haha). This season is teaching me to trust Him and to let go of the control that I like to have, especially when it comes to the finances needed for this trip. And this season of preparation is also teaching me something that I didn’t think it would. Looking forward to what God has for me, and not looking back at what I’m missing. There’s a lot of really important things that will happen while I’m gone on this trip. And I was really getting upset about missing these things. I mean, I knew when I signed up for the Race that I would be missing things, but it didn’t actually hit me until a few weeks ago because that’s when it felt real. But then, I was reminded of the story in Luke 9:57-62.
Jesus and his disciples were walking down the road and someone said, “I will follow you wherever you go!”. Jesus said, “follow me”. The man wanted to follow him, but said, “first let me bury my father” and another person said, “let me say good-bye to my family first”. To which Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” When you look back, you can have a change in heart.
When you look back, you may begin to place a higher priority on what you’re leaving behind rather than focusing on the call that God has placed on your life. A good example is to look at an athlete. When a runner is racing, they are looking forward to see what’s ahead.. if they look back to see what’s behind them, they may slow down, stumble, run into another person or trip or whatever… you get my point? God has to be our number one focus.
I’m so excited for what God is going to do for 11 months on the Race, but I’m also excited for what God is doing now, before the race. I’m excited about this season of preparation and I’m excited to see how God uses me and grows me for the next 6 months. (How crazy is that, I leave in 6 months!!)
Please pray for me and my team as we prepare for this call God’s placed on our lives.
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