To spare you of having to read a mega blog, this one will be
in two parts. The Lord has really been working in my heart, the hearts of my
teammates, as well as those we are working with. This week I have learned a lot
about my relationship with God, and I felt the need to be open about my
conclusions. Before we get to that, this week I also held a chicken . . . on a leash, as well as found my new favorite snack. “Chocobananas” AKA a frozen banana on a stick, dipped in chocolate, for about 10 cents. Gracias, Los Pinos.
I must be transparent and say for about 4 days I was very
frustrated and in a “funk” as I call it. I really didn’t know why at the time,
but it’s one of those times when you just go through the motions, not happy with
anyone or anything, but at the same time not really upset with anyone or
anything either. During these times I don’t want to read the Word, spend time
with God, or anyone really. So . . . for the past few days, that’s exactly what
I did. Nothing.
Well, that all slowly changed as God began revealing things
to me through others. I have learned on The World Race we have teams for a
reason. God uses these people to speak truth into my life on a daily basis,
even when they aren’t aware of it. The first truth came from two different
people, but the exact same message. Our entire group seemed to be frustrated
and tired over the weekend. However, God revealed how big His love for us is,
and how He never gives up on us or becomes tired and frustrated when we don’t
act in ways that make Him proud. Shouldn’t we feel this way about the
boys/people we are investing time into? Absolutely. There is no reason we
should need a break from loving any member of the family of God, no matter how
difficult it may get. The love we have from God should pour through us into
others. That was step one of the change. Next, was just a mere late-night
bathroom conversation with a girl from Team Arrow. Through our conversation we
managed to remind ourselves of some truths spoken to us at training camp months
ago. We have no rights to anything in life. Not our teams, not materialistic
things, not privacy, not anything at all. Well, I can honestly say doing
without specific things hasn’t bothered me yet. However, I am not everyone
else. God has showed me I must be patient and understanding with others because
they are at different points in their walks with the Lord and in life than I
am. Things that aren’t important to me may be to others, and we have to constantly
remind ourselves of this truth this year. My walk with the Lord is my own, and
there is no point in comparing mine to someone else’s.
The title of this blog, as well as the next one comes from
something Tony truly believes and uses in his ministry. “God wants to know, 1)
Do you believe in me?, and then He says, 2) Follow me.” That’s it. I think this
is going to look different for different people though, and I have been working
through what this looks like in my personal life/relationship with God. Sure I
believe in the existence of God, but do I believe in Him, as in an earthly sense? Typically when you believe in someone, you believe they can accomplish something, and to a superior level. My parents
believe in me, I believe in my friends, etc. This week I have seen God’s
faithfulness in my life in clear ways and experienced His unfailing love. He
has empowered me in huge ways and I have seen His hand in the lives of those we
are working with. So yes God, I do believe in you. I believe you are
powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. That’s the easy part of it though.
What will following Him entail?
Read the next blog to
see what I’ve concluded about that . . .
