When I found out that we would be able to bring our parents to launch my first thought would be that of course I would bring them. However, at training camp when the possibility was actually presented at training camp, I hesitated. I had this image in my mind that I would completely break down in front of my team and that it would embarrass both my team and I. I didn’t know if it was going to be healthy for me and that an airport good-bye might actually be cleaner and give me time to recover before I faced my team. I decided to invite them and leave it up to God. If they were able to find the money then obviously He meant for them to go and knew that I would be better off with them there.
They did end up getting the money, but I still had my doubts. There were times that I almost asked them not to come, but the fact that I had left the decision in God’s hands and my own personal preference for not hurting my parents’ feelings stopped me.
As my parents and I drove up to Atlanta and arrived the day before launch. On our drive up there as I heard my parents talking, I felt God’s excitement not for how I was going to grow, but how they were going to grow. We are told from the starting point that this is not just our journey, but our parents will be on their own journey too. However, this was the first time that God actually opened my eyes to the fact that He was not just creating a new work in me, but a new work in them as well.
During launch, I got to see part of the growth firsthand. This growth was not a spiritual one (though there may have been some of that going on as well.. it’s hard to tell in your own parents..). The growth that I am talking about is the growth from a parent whose child is going on the World Race to an actual World Race parent. They seemed more involved and more confident about what their role is in this journey.
Each goodbye during launch was hard (for me at least), knowing that it was leading up to the last one for a while. But the final goodbye was also easier given what God had shown me leading up to that moment. It was easier for me because I knew that they were more confident in what I was doing.
I’m so glad I was able to bring my parents to launch.
