On my race, I did and saw a lot of things done imperfectly. Here are some musings on what we could do better, as both world racers, and Christ’s disciples.
1) Calling it a “trip” – a trip is something you fully come back from. A trip is an un-life excursion. A trip is a footnote, something that can be shrugged off. The world Race is not a trip. We are missionaries, not people on a long missions trip.
2) “Jesus Time” – one of my biggest pet peeves on the Race was the clause, “I am going to spend some time with Jesus.” I used it myself. Can’t we say “some time with JUST me and Jesus”, or something like that? We need to shatter the idea that time with Jesus happens when we’re alone, comfortable, journaling, napping. And we need to stop subtly (whether or not intentionally) suggesting that we can’t find Jesus going and doing whatever others are up to. I am an extreme introvert. I found Jesus in tough conversations with people, in ridiculous fun, in places I didn’t want to be. Let’s say what we mean – “I don’t want to go, I need to recharge alone, I need a date with Jesus, etc., etc.” Jesus time is all the time, everywhere.
3) Un-offendable – for a long time on the race, me and others tried very hard not to be offended by anything. But sometimes, very rarely, but sometimes, offense is necessary. Jesus isn’t just frumpy when he overturns the tables. He is offended. We also misused un-offendability as an excuse to be a jerk or to not feel our feelings.
4) Teammates – One thing I wish I did better on my race is RELAX early on! Everything was so serious at the beginning, like we were a business team with a project to accomplish and we might be fired if we fail. My teams’ best endeavor was being friends. And, it is true that we have very little say in who is on our teams. But, let’s be honest, in some ways, you have very little say in who your friends are. It may feel like it. But depending on where we grew up, what school we went to, what sports we play, our life friendships kind of sort themselves out for us. Let’s stop pretending we held American-Idol styled auditions to decide our community at home. Be friends with the people around you. It’ll make being teammates more bearable, more fun, and more life-bringing. You can survive the world race without real teammates, but you need friends.
5) The enemy – I heard more about Satan this year than I ever have in my life. We’re not called to push back darkness, we are called to push forward Light. In my opinion, that is not semantics, it is not a subtle difference. That perspective makes all the difference in the world.
6) Discernment – when we talk about discernment as a gift, we seem to treat it as one’s ability to see through the bull-crap and see how things really are. But things are very rarely one thing or the other. Discerners have to decide which speck on the spectrum of truth they are going to speak to or act out of. Too often, discerners stop looking as soon as they see something others don’t or something their pride wants to harp on. But it isn’t the whole truth.
7) Freedom – freedom is not doing whatever the hell you want. Freedom is knowing the boundaries and frolicking around the interior without either internal or external condemnation.
8) Extending Grace – when someone is acting like an idiot and I am blessed with the opportunity to “extend grace” to them, I too often think that extending grace means not letting myself get overly annoyed by this particular idiocracy. But true grace is not about me. When people make mistakes, I want my grace to extend to seeing them the way God sees them, not just disallowing it to ruin my day. The goal of “extending grace” should not be self-preservation but unconditional love.
9) Free Time – “free” time is not a break from the race. Just like free time is not life’s off-season. Mark my words, no matter what ministry or team or country you go to, your race will be defined by what you decide to do with your free time. Oh, also, your life will follow the same rule.
10) Leadership – we really should stop judging leadership, making secret voodoo dolls, and flapping our jaws about how we could do it better. Most world racers are capable of leadership. But you will enjoy your year better without it. Trust me. On this journey, you don’t need a leadership role to validate that you are a leader. It is not a competition.
11) Changing – I wonder why on New Years do we always resolve to do or be something we have not been. I think the best way to change or grow is to expound on the things we do well. I think most of our imperfections are not things we just decide to do wrong, but results of us being afraid, hesitant, or resistant to doing the things we ought to and being who we are. Unfortunately, when we try to grasp and then release our imperfections, the second stage gets faked or forgotten. If we use our hands and our minds to be more who are, there won’t be much left to hold on to.
