I came home from my World Race a few weeks ago. A whirlwind of emotions swirling through my life as I adjusted back to American life and said goodbye to my beautiful, growing and life altering C-squad life.
After a few days it was time for something that was so beautiful for me in 2014. CHURCH.
I have gone to churches all over the world this year. Sometimes it was in a beautiful building, other times it was in a crammed room as we all had sweat pouring down our faces. They were diverse, but they were each a unique and special way of worshiping our savior. So why did I have a weird feeling in my gut as I headed to church? I think part of it was because I knew what to expect.
I knew it wouldn’t be the same as the mud floor churches in Malawi. The sweaty Sunday night youth groups of Cambodia. The house churches in countless countries. It would be different. And it was.
The worst thing World Racers can do coming off the Race and returning to American church…fall prey to COMPARISON.
We can’t return home and begin to examine the flaws of the American church, holding it to an unfair standard. Comparing it to an unrealistic church in our head that has taken the best of what we’ve seen all year, but not the struggles that come hand in hand. Yes there is room for growth in the American church. There is room for growth in EVERY church…because churches are comprised of human beings.
Instead, let’s love the church….the same way we loved all of the souls we came across around the world on our Race. Let’s pour our gifts and talents into the church and use them to build the body of Christ. Be the improvement that you seek in your church.
Since coming home I’ve had the chance to see the best of the American church. I’ve spent my first three weeks home working for the Samaritan’s Purse – Operation Christmas Child ministry. All year millions of Americans around the nation pack shoe boxes to send to children around the world. During the processing season people come from hundreds of miles away to spend their day checking shoeboxes and packing them into shipping containers to send overseas.
Some of these shoe box gifts will make their way to countries I visited this past year. In fact, I saw shoeboxes in a few places during my World Race and I know first hand how much each box means to these children. It’s more than a gift, it’s sharing the love of Jesus Christ and for some children it’s the first time they’ll hear the news of salvation through Jesus. People pouring out their resources and time to reach the nations in a loving and tangible way. This ministry is a snapshot of the beauty of the American church.
Coming home from the World Race isn’t always easy. Adjusting to American church again can be tough.
It’s different than we’ve become used to. It has room for growth and areas to improve, but we can help be that growth. We can pour our hearts out to our church and community. We can’t sit on the sidelines because we feel we ‘no longer fit in here’. And above all else…we can’t give up on the American church.
