I get this question, or some variation of it, about 75% of the time when I tell someone about the World Race: “are you scared?”. My answer, in short: “no; I am trusting the Lord.” The long answer: “yes, I am afraid, but I am trusting the Lord.”
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10
Recently, my little brother came to me with tears in his eyes and said “thank you for showing me I don’t have to be afraid.” Not long after that, my dad told me how brave I was. As I’ve thought about these words, it all began to sink it… I am afraid. I am afraid of a lot of things. I’m afraid to leave my family and friends for a year. I’m afraid I may get sick. I’m afraid of the giant spiders I’ll encounter. I’m afraid that sleeping on a 2inch sleeping mat for 11 months is going to be miserable. There’s an endless list of things about this trip that scare me. I am afraid, BUT it does not end there. It’s so far outside my comfort zone and this is where I am forced to rely on the Lord.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9
If you know me well at all, you know I am a scaredy cat. Of my own abilities, I would have never signed up for something as daunting as the World Race. Yet, here I am today. I have officially passed the fundraising deadline to launch the weekend of September 5th. I have just over $10,000 of my $16,000 raised (PRAISE THE LORD!) and I am officially leaving U.S. soil for 11 months! I’ll have to raise the remaining $6,000 by month five (December 31st) of the trip.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love – Romans 8:38
So, why am I going if I have fears? Because I am convinced that nothing can happen in this life that would be worse than departing from God’s will. I am convinced that He is my provider and my protector. He goes before me and lays the path. And I will follow. I am going because He makes me brave…
“You Make Me Brave” by Amanda Cook and Bethel Music
