I’ve spent the past week in Gainesville, Georgia at the Adventures in Missions headquarters along with nearly 150 fellow fresh-off-the-field World Racers at a conference called Project Searchlight, and it has been like a breath of fresh air. Just when I was starting to believe that the past year of my life was nothing but a distant dream, I have suddenly found myself reminiscing about “that one time in Cambodia” with people who can finish that sentence without a moment’s hesitation. I think I needed this time, because these are the only people who can truly affirm everything that I experienced this year. I am reminded that the past 11 months of my life really mattered, because I am once again surrounded by people who saw it all - the only ones who really understand just how much the Lord changed me this year, and just how much He used me to change others’ lives.
This week we have worshipped together. We have cried together and laughed together. We’ve encouraged one another, and we’ve been encouraged by the staff here at AIM. We have looked back together at how far we’ve come, and we’ve remembered just how much the Lord has done in and through us. We’ve been amazed at the difference a year can make. We have come alongside one another and looked ahead at what lies before us all the choices, the opportunities, the challenges and celebrations. (Any Racers catch that reference to C&Cs?) We have rebuked fear of the future in the name of Jesus, and been reminded of all the reasons we can trust God with our tomorrows because He has been utterly faithful in our yesterdays. And just when we thought that we’d seen it all this year - that by doing the World Race we had somehow tasted and seen all that the Lord could possibly offer us, He has revealed Himself again and again in still more ways.
The Lord has spoken to me a lot about light here, which I only just realized fits perfectly with the name of the game this week. Ephesians 5:13 says, “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible - and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” These people have been exposed by the light. We have stood in the Presence of the Light of the world, and we’ve been brought to our knees by His blinding brilliance. We’ve had our brokenness exposed, all the really ugly parts about ourselves that used to hide behind the shadows of superficial community and carefully calculated vulnerability. We’ve walked into some of the spiritually darkest places on this entire planet, and by the grace of God we managed to bring His light there. We’ve watched ourselves become lights that reflect His glory, and we’ve inspired others to do the same. We have been exposed by the light, and the Lord has reminded me this week that there is no turning back now, because everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
A common refrain that has echoed from every corner of the room this week is, “I just don’t feel like I belong in my life at ‘home.’ No one understands.” May we be reminded that this should not come as a surprise, because “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:5). Fellow Racers of M, N, O, Q, and my beloved P squad, my prayer is that we would never forget how we have been exposed by the Light over the past year. My hope is that we will “shine among them like stars in the sky as [we] hold firmly to the Word of Life.” (Philippians 2:15) As our futures unfold, let us walk confidently in the light that has illuminated our very souls and let it be His light in us that shines ever-more brightly as a result. We will most assuredly find ourselves in dark places again, but we must never forget that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that [we] may declare the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness and into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) The World Race may be over, but our real races have only just begun. It’s time to shine.
With love and wanderlust,
Cassady
PS- I almost forgot the mention that AIM provided us with an endless supply of hot coffee for the entire week, and that deserves a HUGE thank you, because we know how much Racers love their coffee. So, PTL for PSL (Project Searchlight, not Pumpkin Spice Lattes) and happy reunions and copious amounts of caffeine and the glorious adventure of life with Jesus.
