Ok so I’m not great at this type of thing, but I’m certainly going to try! I’ve been attempting to write my first blog for a week now and it just never sounds good. BUT! I was looking at Pinterest because what better way to pass the time than to look at it right? Ha! but while looking at it I came across this picture and quote and it caught my eye.
Now I know this is talking about running but this is the World RACE isn’t it? We’re all running a race of some sort each and every day. This quote seems to sum up what I’m expecting to experience during the 11 months of the race. I know that I will be challenged and pushed beyond my limits each day, and that I’m going to go places that I never even thought I’d be going. I’m going to meet people I never would’ve imagined meeting even a month ago and I’m going to be sharing God’s love to them in ways I never would’ve thought I’d be sharing. Because of these I have no doubt I’m going to find out just what I’m made of, and what God has for me and that’s what its all about right? Loving God and loving people.
This trip is going to be a challenge for me. Why? Well for one I’ll be living in a tent for 11 months! I’ve never even been camping! My idea of camping has always consisted of an RV and an RV park! So I have no idea what to expect with this part. I’m thinking I may need to do a couple of practice runs before leaving!
I know that I’m going to run into many things that are going to be completely new to me and completely out of my comfort zone. I know that I’ll be trying tons of news things- food, drinks, living situations, cultures, languages, and so much more! I’m nervous about it all but I can’t wait! I’m going to come back a new person and I am so excited to see who that person is. I’m going to be stretched, pulled and pushed beyond my limits, beyond what I think that I’m capable of. I know that I’m going to struggle with things that I can’t even imagine at this point, but like my pastor talked about at church last night, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.
I’ve always seen that verse in the context of: “I can lose weight, I can stick with the plan, I can get through finals, because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” or “I won because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” but my pastor put it into a whole new perspective for me. He talked about Paul writing that from prison and how he was saying it from the perspective of a loser- someone who has been knocked down, beaten, someone who is at the lowest point in their life. He was saying that even in your deepest, darkest, hardest times, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you; you can get through the hardest of times when all you want to do is give in and give up. Many times you hear that verse being quoted by winners- people who have won their battles, overcome their competition. That’s great and all, but what about the times that you’re down and want to give up because you don’t think you’re strong enough to make it through? That’s when God steps in and says “I’ve got you, you can do this, I’ll give you the strength you need to get through this, trust in me”. I’m going to have to trust in Him and lean on Him every moment of every day, not only during the 11 months that I’m gone, but every day leading up to it and every day after it because how else will I make it through the challenges that I’m going to face?
Whether I’m being challenged with figuring out how to stuff everything needed into a backpack, or what shots I need to get for each country and actually getting them! (being afraid of needles is a big plus when it comes to this!), or getting out there and fundraising. Whether facing being sick, exhausted, frustrated, or homesick, etc on the trip; I know that I will need to trust more in God and trust that no matter what challenges I’m going to face, He’s going to be facing them with me and he is going to give me the strength and the courage I need to overcome each challenge.
I can’t begin to imagine what I will experience, what issues I will face, what my team will be like, or how God will use each of these things to bring me and my squad closer to Him. I can’t imagine how drastically my life is going to be changed during this time and what I’m going to learn through each and every circumstance, situation, or person I meet, etc but what I do know is that whatever happens happens for a reason and that God will use it for His glory. I’m not saying its going to be easy, in fact, I know that it’s going to be hard, but like I said earlier, He will give me the strength I need to overcome and to push through. I’m going to grow so much over the next 2 years- the 11 months on the race and the year leading up to those 11 months. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me and what lessons he has to teach me and as difficult as some of those lessons are going to be, I’m still excited to see what comes out of it all. My race begins here.
