"Dance then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He
And I'll lead you on, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the dance said He."
You experience a really weird set of paradoxes when you leave for the
World Race in 12 days.
Time sort of seems to have stopped,
because that last day will surely never really get here.
And at the same time,
you can’t figure out how the time is slipping away so fast,
almost unnoticed.
You alternate between crazy excitement
and mini panic attacks,
because that
taxes
insurance
gear
bank stuff
car stuff
…won’t get done on its own.
And you have a whole new appreciation for the expression
“Getting your affairs in order.”
You stare in disbelief at the various
“necessities”
(which are currently scattered all over your bedroom floor)
that you are going to fold and smash and squeeze and cram in your pack
(with the help of your Tetris-minded sister and back-packing cousin)
and still keep it below 40 pounds.
Cipro, Z-pack, warm clothes, Bible, cold clothes, towels, Doxycycline, toiletries,
sleeping bag, 70 liter pack, tent, sleeping pad, mess kit,
bungee cords, flashlight, water bottle, camera, Braves hat, shoes
….and on and on.
And you think
What if I just show up with a toothbrush and a pillow and my Bible?
Would things really be that much harder without all this junk?
You realize that what you really want
is more time with those you care about
because what if your grandparents get bad health news?
or your old, beloved family dog starts failing?
And all that other “stuff” that needs to get done
suddenly is just a prayer of “Father, walk me through it,
and I know it will all be fine,
because You want me to go.”
“When in Rome!” (or Lewisville or Charlotte, really)
becomes a constant reprieve
because you won’t be here much longer.
So you eat birthday cake for breakfast,
watch a movie you have seen 100 times,
cycle towels through the dryer 3 times
just to pull them out and feel their warmth
over and over.
You hope and pray and trust God
that somehow there will be time and strength
for all the goodbyes
and hugs
and tears
and conversations that need to happen
so that you can have peace.
And trusting that He will give you peace,
even if some of the goodbyes
somehow end up not happening
at all.
Then you hear a song from training camp
and talk to your team mates
and watch a World Race video
and see the orphans and widows and homeless…
And suddenly you feel that bubbly, child-like excitement,
and faith
and your Father’s arms around you
and the knowledge that He is going to use you to build His Kingdom
and love His children
in places where they may have never even heard the name of Jesus.
You realize that it is all just a dance, really
in which God stuck out His hand and said
“Don't let go of my hand, baby girl. Follow me. I want to take you
somewhere new.
In the world, and
in our dance.”
So you spin around,
turn up the music,
call and make plans to see a good friend on Friday,
touch base with your awesome team,
and start blindly cramming stuff in your pack.
Hopping on a plane in 12 days to dance around the globe holding tightly to my Heavenly Papa.
Never felt so blessed.
