Dear Future Racer,
I hope you have the time of your life. Not because you do things that get the most attention or take pictures that get the most likes… but because you live in a way that can never be lived again. Because you take chances no one else is brave enough to take, make hard choices that have to be made and do it all for the glory of God.
I hope you see even more of the world than you expect to… cherishing every long layover, excruciating bus ride and all of those nights spent sleeping in strange places. I hope you take the time to snap pictures; but stop to put the camera down and soak in the view every once in awhile.
I hope that you stop to pray with the woman in the coffee shop and stay to play with the children after school. I hope you spend time listening to life stories and are brave enough to share your own. I hope you serve with joy… looking for more opportunities than the ones given to you. I hope you always choose the hardest job and help more than you were asked.
I hope most of all, that you love even when you have to act in crazy bravery to do so. Because every time that you love someone extravagantly, you answer one more question that this world has about Jesus.
I hope you stay up late eating weird candies from around the world and laugh until you cry. I hope you wake up early to meet with Jesus and watch the sunrise. I hope you read the bible and learn what God has to say about this life you are living. I hope you try new foods, join in on the dance parties and always get your hair wet. I hope that you squeeze the life out of every single second and always say “yes”… even when you’re exhausted.
And when the time comes, because I know it will; when you want to go home… I hope you stay.
I hope you realize that even your worst day can’t compare to the good ones up ahead. I hope you forgive the people that hurt you and show grace every chance you get. I pray that Jesus teaches you lessons that are hard enough to change you. I hope that you see the transformations in the weird tan lines on your feet, the calluses on your hands and the unruly hair you no longer worry about getting just right… but even more, in the way you know Jesus. The way you love Him, live for Him and the way this journey becomes more about Him than you ever imagined.
Sincerely,
An (almost) alum.
