I want to be more like Jesus.
In fact, I want to become so much like Jesus that others no longer see me, but instead they see the love of Christ radiating through me. For a long time, I judged how "good" of a Christian I was by comparing my life to other Christians. When comparing the deeds of my life to someone else… I wasn't doing a bad job. But when I began comparing my life to Christ… I was terribly missing the mark! To begin my journey of becoming more like Jesus, first I had to start listening.
God has been preparing my heart for The World Race for several years. The first time I felt God calling me to actually "go" on a mission was at a Christian summer camp. I was in 7th grade, and God broke my heart for the poor, the oppressed, and the orphan. As the speaker would tell stories of the people groups rejected by their own nations and with no hope, tears would stream down my face. I desperately wanted to share the hope I had inside of me. I wanted to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That summer God chiseled away selfishness and prejudice from my heart. I could see people of all nations as His beautiful creation and desired to abandon my comfortable way of life in order to spread the love of Christ. As I knelt at the altar, my head hung low and my hands raised toward the sky. I didn't understand why God had blessed me with so much while others had so little.
I praised God for my family, my education, my freedom of religion and my comforts of life… and then I vowed to give it all away for His glory.
Through choked sobs, I managed to cry out, "I will go wherever you send me! I will give up everything for you Lord Jesus. Take away my plans, my desires and replace them with yours for me. I just want to bring you glory."
And I meant that prayer with all of my heart.
My willingness to go on this journey is completely my desire to be obedient to God's call on my life. Jesus left his home, came to earth as a poor lowly baby, and traveled around with no home, telling everyone about God's plan of the redemption of man. He showed compassion on the poor, He healed the sick, He made disciples, and He accomplished the will of God. I don't think I can go wrong by following in his footsteps.
Do you have to travel to 11 different countries to be more like Jesus? I think the answer is no. I think it is different for everyone. But for me, the answer is a HUGE yes. God has made it very clear to me that this is His desire for my life, and for me to refuse to go would be disobeying Him. For those of you that cannot go, I would love for you to be a part of my ministry by partnering with me. Only through your help can I follow God's will. Together as the many body parts of Christ, we can take the gospel to unreached people and we can share the love of Christ. Please prayerfully consider partnering with me as I take this leap of faith.
