We sometimes look at people, especially in terms of social media, and determine if their lives are abundant based on what’s seen. We see they travel, they go out, they are always doing something unique, know all the cool places, go to the best concerts, wear the latest clothes, and always have something to say or post about.
Recently, I was looking back on my life and tears filled my eyes. Not out of sadness, not out of longing for a more abundant life, but out of thankfulness.
On the World Race, it seems as though we have this abundant life because we play with elephants, jump off of cliffs, go zip lining, canoe down crazy rivers in strange countries, travel all over the world, and so on. But that’s not what makes the World Race so abundant. What makes the Race so abundant are the people.
My squad mates and my teammates make my life abundant every day by loving me the way that God does, pouring life into me constantly, and making sure I am laughing and having fun. They bring out my goofy side, make me dance like crazy, and push me to be my best self. I live in an abundant community that gives me feedback, challenges me, and helps me to be more like Christ.
The cool thing is, is that it’s not only my squad mates but the people we all meet along the way. I’ve made friends from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, etc in the last two months. I cannot express how incredible this is! When I asked God what His “why” for me on the Race was, He answered and said “to meet people on a path you otherwise wouldn’t”. Which has proven to be so true. There are many different people who I never would have met, loved, had conversations with, or been challenged by if I hadn’t left for the Race. Each one of them has made this journey more than worth it by letting me get to know them and be apart of their lives.
But, God revealed something else to me. My life didn’t become abundant on the Race, it didn’t become abundant in college, it didn’t become abundant when I could finally drive, it didn’t become abundant when I graduated… My life never became abundant because it always had been abundant.
God crafts our lives in such a way that abundance doesn’t just happen all of a sudden but it’s constantly there, grafted into our lives, from the time we are born. My life has been filled with loving, caring, kind people who love God more than anything else in their lives. My life has also been filled with kind, caring, amazing people who don’t have a personal relationship with God but still highly value me, my faith, and our relationship.
An abundant life isn’t something that’s seen on social media or with the common eye, it’s something that you recognize and acknowledge is there and always has been there.
I am not on the Race to travel, to see elephants, to go on adventures, to zip line, to bungee jump, to be a tourist, or to just have fun… I am here for the people. I’m here for my squad mates who teach me knew things and love me everyday, I am here for the people I meet in ministry that come from all over the world to serve God, I am here to meet people I otherwise wouldn’t and get to know them, I am here for the people I minister to to show them love.
That’s why I am on the Race.
As the Thanksgiving season starts back home, I am reminded of the things God has given me. Not just simple gifts here and there, but the incredible gift of an abundant life that He has so carefully provided and put together for me. That the abundance didn’t start on the Race but is a continual gift that started before I was even born.
