Want a reason to go on the Race? Sure, you get to travel the globe, experience colorful new cultures, and have some crazy awesome adventures, but the big reason you should want this is that you will experience world-wrecking, mind-blowing, exponential growth.
You will grow in areas you did not even know you had to grow in. You will be forced to grow in areas where you will feel like quitting before you can go any further. I honestly did not think I had grown at all until I started writing this list. I stared at the little blinking cursor for probably five minutes and nothing was coming to mind. I got desperate with God and super depressed thinking that I had just gone this whole year and had not grown at all. Five minutes later I had this list.
Please, read this and if there is anything on here that you would like to grow in then start right now. You do not need the Race to enact a change in yourself. Growth is never easy, though. This year was not easy. But it was good. It was so good.
Also if you supported me financially or through prayer and are reading this list, just know that you had an amazing part in my journey. I can never thank you enough.
- I was scared to be a leader: I remember the moment World Race asked me to be a team leader as a moment where I almost laughed in their faces. I was not equipped for this. I had never led anything before and I thoroughly enjoyed following. All sorts of doubts crept through my mind but then I was reminded that God does not call the equipped, he equips the called. I still walk through periods of fear and doubt but God has given me my voice and shown me that I truly am called to be a leader.
- I have grown incredibly bold: Just by travelling the world I have grown in boldness as I deal with language barriers, border crossings and dangerous moments. I have learned I can figure out and survive any ordeal big or small, but the best has come in my increased boldness to proclaim Jesus. I used to be incredibly nervous about ever bringing up Jesus to anyone for fear that they might hate me or not want to be my friend anymore. But then I realized that keeping the good news and love of Jesus to myself is the most selfish thing I could ever do.
- I am not afraid to say the hard things: Part of our Race routine was to sit down every night with the team and give each other feedback. This could be positive qualities you see in that person or a constructive suggestion. Needless to say, there were nights of tears and anger because sometimes growth can hurt, but I would not trade a single hard moment of feedback for anything. Also, when you are living in community 24/7 you sometimes need to be lovingly harsh.
- My faith has grown exponentially: For the first four months of the Race I would pray every day that God would grow my faith in him and his miracles but nothing was changing. That is until I realized that in order for faith to grow you have to step out in faith. You can not just sit back and wait, you have to do something. As soon as that happened God showed up in big ways. Lives were changed and people were healed. God blew my concept of faith out of the water this year. He wants to use every single believer in crazy ways, but we first need to step out into the raging waters and trust him.
- I have learned to live simply: Living out of a backpack for a year reveals that most of the so called “essentials” we say we cannot live without are actually quite expendable. You do not need much in this life, and you cannot take anything with you.
- I have learned to trust God for strength and guidance: Even though it was good, the Race was the hardest thing I have ever done. There were mornings where I would wake up and have no idea if I could continue on. I started praying every morning for just enough strength for that day. Of course, God came through. I would make it to the end of the day and have no idea how I had made it. It was all God. He loves to allow us to get a point where there is no other explanation but Him.
- I have learned how to hear His voice: I used to think that people who said they could hear God speaking to them were bonkers, now I guess I am bonkers too. I learned that God truly does speak to us through the Bible, through epiphanies, through fellow believers, and sometimes even through an inaudible voice in your head. You just have to shut up and start listening.
- I used to be incredibly selfish: Most of my life has been spent finding ways to make myself more known or how to make it easier. If someone got in the way of my pursuit of myself then God help them. I now realize that the most peaceful, stress free, joy-filled way to live is to make myself less known and make God more known. Because of this I have also learned how to be a better friend and brother and I give and receive love so much better than ever before.
- I have broken idols in my life: For most of my teenage and college life I lived for romantic relationships. As long as I had a girlfriend I felt like I was worthy and loved. But I unfairly put all these girls on a pedestal and expected things of them that they could never give me. Only God can. I now can wake up in the morning and feel completely loved and worthy because the God of the universe knows me intimately.
- I have grown in my relationship with Jesus: Whenever someone would stress the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus in the past I would wonder what was in it for me. Was it really worth giving everything up and pursuing Him? The answer: duh. I cannot even begin to stress the importance of a close relationship with Jesus or have the words to explain how it feels when you do. It is cosmic. Out of this world. But you have to pursue him; relationships are not a one way street. Talk to him, spend time with him, read about him, praise him, and worship him. The result will be like nothing you have ever felt before.
- I have learned how to be present (mostly): This was one of the hardest for me to learn and it is still in progress. Learning to appreciate every moment and embrace the good and the bad is something I have never been good at. But time is so fleeting and our lives are like morning mist. I want to be someone who is completely and utterly present in any and every moment but my flesh does not like to let me do that. I have come a long way though and still have a ways to go.
The list could go on and on. I have learned that being flexible at all times is the only way to live. Worrying is just dumb. Community is what God created us for and it is so important for a believer. The Holy Spirit is very much still active today; utilize him. I am a warrior in God’s army taking on the darkness, and there is so much darkness, but the light is so much brighter and we always win.
There is still so much growth to be had though; as believers we should never stop seeking growth. But I am so thankful for this year of ups and downs, of good times and bad, of tears and laughter, and for my brothers and sisters who stuck with me through thick and thin and weren’t scared to tell me the hard things.
I hope this list inspires you to seek growth. I would challenge you to make a list of ways you have grown over the last year and areas you would like to grow in over the next year. Then give it to God. Pray and then pray some more. You can do none of this on your own power. And remember, it will not be easy, but nothing worth having ever is.
