Suggested song to listen to- My Story- Big Daddy Weave
I arrived to World Race Launch yesterday, where we prepare and have a couple of days of finalized training before our squad (large team) flies out to our first location of Costa Rica.
We met with our some of our squad who was also there for early training if they held any type of leadership position.
I have the privilege and opportunity to be a Story Leader for my squad of 30, along with another person on my squad who is also leading with me, the dynamic writer and videographer, Luke Garmon- check out his hilarious videos here and his superb, real life and humorous blog here!
We will champion story telling on our squad. Every person has their own story and God writes all of our stories differently. Every person’s experience and perspective is unique and we give our squad the tools they need to tell their stories about what God is doing in their lives and around them.
What story is God telling in your life?
Will you allow Him to write your amazing, unique, beautiful story?
We received our first story assignment today- Go Live a Good Story and Write It!
“To tell a good story, you have to live a good story.”
-Donald Miller
We could go anywhere and talk to anyone and then we would write the story about what transpired.
So without further ado, here is the story of a woman named Cindy.
We prayed,
“Lord, make us your vessels. You are the potter. We are the clay.”
“Don’t let us shrink back in fear but step out boldly where you’ve called us. In love. In faith.”
We set out and walked down the street to find a place to have lunch.
I saw the Happy Buddha sign on an otherwise nondescript restaurant building and wondered aloud about it.
It may have sparked my curiosity or it may have reminded me of the time I spent in Taiwan teaching and the Chinese culture there.
Who doesn’t enjoy good Chinese food?
We ordered lunch specials and a young woman wearing green came to refill our water. We thanked her and ended up eventually starting a conversation with her when we noticed how helpful and observant she was.
We asked her about the restaurant and her job. It was her uncle’s restaurant. He wanted to hire people he could trust.
She had been working there for about 5 years in this Chinese restaurant where lots of travelers went on their way, as it was very close to the Atlanta airport.
She said that travelers were usually kinder and more thankful than other people.
(What kind of traveler am I?)
When she visited the east coast and Boston area, she said she had met other people like us who were traveling missionaries too. She said they were very kind and had spent time talking to her.
We spent some time learning about her and then when we went to pay for our meal we asked if she needed us to pray for anything for her or her family.
She said they sometimes worried about things, but they tried to be okay.
(Do I sometimes worry and just “try” to be okay?)
We exchanged email addresses and she wished us well on our journey.
We expressed that we hoped her and her family would be happy and healthy and that she would find the meaning she searched for.
Are you happy? God gives you true joy- ask Him to fill you.
Are you sick? Ask God for help- He is your true Healer and He is your Doctor and the Best Physician you can find.
Our meaning, our purpose, is in God.
Without Him, we would not be here.
We would not have any meaning.
You can only go so far if you only focus on yourself. Meaning is not found completely in any one person- except for Jesus Christ.
He is how we find our true meaning.
He gives us hope. We would not be victorious without Him.
“Apart from me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5 says that if we remain in Him and He in us, we will bear much fruit.
What does your life look like now?
Are you happy with it?
The only true meaning of our life can we found when we turn to God and ask Him what our purpose is. He created us all for a unique purpose that only we could accomplish.
What is yours?
(Great book to read on this- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren)
Stop trying to find meaning and purpose and hope without him.
He is your one true God.
He cares for you.
You are His beloved.
He wants to give you peace.
In Him you will find life.
As I am preparing to leave on Sunday to go to my first country on the Race, I am reminded to be aware of what kind of traveler I am.
I want to be someone who shares love and grace. I want to shine for Him in real ways and trust Him when it is hard.
I want to be a good traveler who cares for others.
I am on a mission to share love and hope and faith in tangible ways.
You can do the same where you are today.
This can be a kind word, an action or taking the time to help someone even when it’s not super convenient.
Think of a time when someone helped you unexpectedly and what a blessing that was.
You can do the same for someone else who comes along on your path!
It doesn’t need to be something huge to make a difference in someone’s life.
It was a small boy sharing his lunch of bread and fish that Jesus used to feed 5,000 people.
You can do the same by sharing your time, your resources, your love.
When we share our time with someone, we are showing them we value and care for them.
Who can you encourage today by sharing your time, resources or love with?
