I can’t believe that I will be leaving Asia and heading to Africa next week! I think it is great to look ahead and be excited for the things the Lord has for me and my squad in the next few months. At the same time, I don’t want to miss the work He has already done in my heart. The Lord is molding me and teaching me so much, and I believe in the power of sharing both the hard stuff and the sweet stuff that the Lord reveals to His followers. Here are a few of the many things the Lord has been teaching me so far on this journey:
LOVE AND COMPASSION DO NOT DEPEND ON THE OTHER PERSON.
“My unconditional love loves the unlovely. It loves the difficult to love. It loves the sad and the lonely. It loves those who are struggling, those who are lost and in confusion. My unconditional love gives and gives and gives again, and expects nothing in return. My unconditional love is without partiality. It doesn’t say, “But this one does not return My love, does not react, therefore I give up.” My unconditional love keeps on believing and never gives up hope; it’s enduring, unfailing. My unconditional love knows no limits and it has no stopping place. My love will go to any length, suffer any agony, walk through any storm to love and bring one lost, lonely, battered soul through to victory.”
I embarked on this journey around the world with 60 almost-strangers. 111 days later, this squad has become my people, my community. One thing I have learned is that one of our holiest callings is to get along with other believers. Jesus says that people will know that we are His disciples by the way we love one another. We do not get to push the job of the church to anyone else because we ARE the church. As members of the the body of Christ, we are called to peace and love. We are radically flawed and yet radically loved by Jesus, and we need to show that same love to those around us. We do not get to wait to love and care for people until we know it will be reciprocated. That is conditional love. We are commanded to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Compassion means caring for people in the midst of our agenda. As we are living out our mission for God, we need to remember that an integral part of this mission is to stop and love others along the way.
LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE MOUNTAINTOP MOMENTS.
“I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us, and generally I don’t even see it, because I’m too busy waiting to become whatever it is I think I am about to become. The big moments are in every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting.”
Don’t get me wrong. There are some once-in-a-lifetime moments that we get to experience on the Race.
But if I’m honest, those are not the best days. The best times are the little moments when the Lord shows up in tangible ways. The best days are made up of small answered prayers, children’s laughter, a beautiful sunrise, getting lost in a new city, acting like a fool in front of a bunch of kids, conversations on the walks to and from ministry, and meals around the table. If we aren’t looking for them, we will miss them. But when we open our eyes and our hearts to what the Lord has for us each day, it is a reminder that we are seen and known by our Father in Heaven. It is a reminder that each day is a gift and each moment is an opportunity to see Jesus working.
DON’T GLORIFY THE COURAGEOUS.
“Such courage was years, perhaps decades, in the making. While such decisions to be brave happen in an instant, was not the willingness and strength behind the decision forged through crucibles and trials, many of which the world may never know? There is history behind such actions. Stories of failure and heartache they’ve channeled into purpose and conviction that has empowered them to do the extraordinary at a moment’s notice. A heavy cost has been paid, time and time again, that has led them here.”
When I used to think of the word “courageous”, I would think of a few people that have been through a life-changing experience that required great courage and perseverance. I associated the word “courage” with the word “hero”. I had romanticized the stories and the character trait of courage.
My definition of courage has changed. I think we have the choice to be courageous in the small every day moments, and our daily decisions lead to a life of courage. On the Race, courage looks like crying yourself to sleep and getting up the next morning anyway. It looks like fighting for people who don’t want it. It looks like finding ways to serve and build relationships when tiredness creeps in and you just want to retreat. It looks like trusting God’s plans when it looks very dark from where you’re sitting. It’s believing that God heals broken hearts when all you feel is the pain. It’s being able to sit and believe that IT IS WELL, even when it may not FEEL well. It is being at peace with doing the unseen work, trusting that fruit will come. It looks like challenging your perceptions, checking your intentions, changing your perspective, and all of the discomfort that comes from examining the posture of your heart. It looks like feeling alone and knowing that it’s precisely how Satan wants you to feel, but knowing that our God promises to see us, hold us, and never leave us. It’s repeating “faithful You have been, and faithful You will be” until your heart catches up to your head and believes this truth. None of this feels like courage, bravery, strength. Oh, but it is.
COMPARISON SUCKS. KEEP FIGHTING IT.
“Comparison, a great teacher once told me, is the cardinal sin of modern life. It traps us in a game that we can’t win. Once we define ourselves in terms of others, we lose the freedom to shape our own lives.”
Have you ever been around someone who seems to be freakishly talented at 100 different things? Guess what. I am on a squad FULL of these people. What a blessing, right?
The Lord has given each of us unique gifts and talents. Each of us plays an integral part in the body of Christ. The problem? Our sin nature takes the gifts and talents God has given us and twists them for self-glorification. Our sin nature takes the recognition and admiration of others’ gifts and twists them into comparison and jealousy.
We need to give back to God the gifts He has given to us. They are for His glory, not ours. We need to fight comparison. Hard. Comparison is the thief of joy, and jealousy damages the Church. We need to call out the talents in others. We need to encourage other people in their gifts. We need to take our eyes off of ourselves and recognize and build up the strengths of the people around us.
WE ARE SEED PLANTERS.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
A few times on the Race, I have struggled to see whether we are making a difference in the communities we are in. Someone on my squad said, “He has already won the war. We will make a difference, not because of what we know or do, but because He said we will.” Because He said we will. The Lord has sent us here and we are doing what He has called us to do. We don’t need to see the fruits of our labor because the Lord has promised that He will fulfill His purpose through us. Faith in God includes faith in His timing. We may be one of ten people that a person needs to encounter before they decide to follow Jesus. Are we okay being the fourth or fifth person in the line, not seeing the results?
He is also using us to encourage missionaries already in the field in these countries, so that they can be rejuvenated to continue to do His work. Like every human, they need to know they are not alone in their mission. We can come along side them for a short time and love them and pray for them. Being a seed planter requires us to take ourselves and our agenda out of the picture. We are simply tools for the Lord to use to fulfill His mission.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
