Maybe not literally, but figuratively.
In a lot of ways, being on the Race is really difficult.
Probably the most difficult way, at least for me, lies in the title of this post.
The Race will strip you completely.
By this I mean that after a while (or really almost immediately) you find yourself stripped of almost everything you once knew as your life. Your routine, your friendships, your cell phone, your car, your church, your favorite restaurants, the coffee you drink every morning, your Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday night Frisbee games, your city, your job, your favorite clothes, your dog, your 24/7 high-speed internet, your books, your independence, etc.
In a way, you almost feel like you’ve lost your identity. Or at least I know I have.
I’m sure as you read this you’re probably thinking, “Oh, that’s really dramatic” and honestly, it probably is a little. However, there is a good chunk of truth behind what I’m saying.
Leaving your home and most everything you love and consider a comfort in order to follow a different calling into foreign worlds is hard. It’s new, it’s strange, and it’s not always what you want it to be. Giving up the things you once used to identify yourself as “you” is weird… and almost paralyzing at times. You find yourself saying at moments, “I’m not exactly sure who I am anymore!”
Weird.
The other day Savannah and I went to have coffee with two of the Scottish women we have befriended over the past few weeks. As we were sitting and chatting, one of the women asked us, “Okay, so… tell us about yourselves!”. For a few moments, Savannah and I just stared at each other with confusion because we weren’t exactly sure how to answer that question anymore. Of course, after a few seconds of recollection, we were able to conjure up an answer, but it was a bit of a challenge at first.
In this being stripped of most everything you once used to identify yourself as “you”, you eventually find yourself at a place where it’s just yourself and God… with nothing to get in the way.
It’s really cool, actually. As difficult as it can be and as much as it hurts sometimes, this process brings a lot of light to life. It brings you to a place where you can’t ignore the areas in your life that are broken and need healing, you can’t ignore the areas that are dark and need light, you can’t ignore the bad habits and thoughts, and most importantly you can’t ignore God.
This process brings you to a place where you literally have nothing but God to define yourself. It brings you to a place where you have to confront the shit in your life and build yourself back up with God’s help. It brings you to a place where you have to re-define yourself as who you are in Christ, not as who you are in yourself.
This process brings you to a deeper level with God. It brings you to the place that He so desperately wants you to be with Him. It brings you to a place of life, love, dependency, and joy. It brings you to a place that is much better than anything you once knew.
So, regardless of how hard it is, I say we should embrace this process – because it’s making us new. It’s making us whole. It’s making us who we were created to be.
