In the famous words of Bon Jovi…..we’re halfway there! This week officially marks our halfway point of the Race. It is hard to believe that I have been gone for 5 ½ months. Some days it feels like it has gone by so quickly, but sometimes it feels like each day is so long.
It is easy to let the thought “only 5 ½ more months until I’m home” creep in. There are certain things that you tend to miss about being back in the US…..a bed, hot showers, washer/dryer, different clothes from the same ones you’ve been wearing for 5 ½ months, etc….
So many things are much more important than those. God has shown me so much on this first half of the Race. I have been blessed to be able to meet some amazing men and women of God who are truly making a difference in this world. I have seen how the love of Christ is so much stronger than any language barriers or cultural differences.
It is amazing the things that God will show you and do through you when you have the boldness to step out of the little bubble that we tend to live in and start to see the big picture. God has such big plans for our lives. His desire is to use us to bring glory to Him.
How can we do that when we are staying in our own little bubble?
We are often so focused on our own issues that we don’t see that others are hurting right in front of us. I believe there is always something we can do to help others in their struggles. A smile and a hug does so much to encourage a person. Even putting a hand on their shoulder and saying a prayer out loud for them works wonders.
So many times on the Race, I have stopped to pray for someone who I felt like needed it. Many times, these people didn’t even understand English so they had no idea what I was saying. But as soon as I was finished praying I would look up and see a big smile on their face. They may not have known what I was saying, but they knew that God cares about their struggles.
I can also think back to some times when I should have stopped to pray for people or talk to them and I didn’t. I regret those times. What was I doing that was so much more important than showing people the love of God? Nothing is more important than that.
God has been teaching me a lot about having boldness, especially while we’ve been here in Zambia. Soon, I’ll post part 2 of this blog where I’ll share more specific stories of how God is teaching me these things.
