Laughter is how I get through just about everything.
Awkward situation: laugh.
Devastating news: laugh.
Pure joy: laugh.
Facing tough decisions: laugh.
I laugh when I should and I try not to laugh when I shouldn’t. It’s my coping mechanism and a good sense of humor is something I truly value in the people I do life with. So it would only make sense that God uses humor to show me things in my life, right?
God uses humor BIG TIME. He uses humor ALL OF THE TIME. If I say, “There’s no way I’ll ever in a million years do _____,” guess who the first person is doing that activity? You guessed it, that would be me.
“I’ll never join marching band.” I marched for two years.
“I’ll never quit softball.” I haven’t picked up a ball in four years.
“I’ll never leave my job, I make too much money there.” I quit for the entire summer so I could work a Christian camp.
“Okay, I’ll go back after the summer, but there’s no way I’m not working Sunday mornings. That’s our busiest day.” I haven’t worked a Sunday morning in six months so I can go to church again.
“This World Race thing seems cool, but I’d never be able to go on something like that.” Well, here I am. And guess who’s going on “something like that.”
When I first found out about the World Race two years ago I was beyond intrigued. I became enthralled by the idea of going. I talked about it, I prayed about it, I dreamed about it. No matter how much I told myself I wasn’t qualified or I wasn’t made for an adventure like this, a little voice in my head kept pushing me back to it. I gave myself rules before I’d let myself even entertain the idea of applying.
I had to graduate first.
I had to be in the “peak” of my walk with Christ.
If I was in a relationship there was no way I would leave, I’m not risking anything because I want to leave for a year.
Ha. HA. Yeah, I’ll graduate first, but what does being in the “peak” of my walk even mean? And that whole relationship thing, yeah that’s out the window, too. I told myself I’d put it off, we’d do the Race together later. But the more I pushed it off, the more I shut that door, the more the thought of leaving ran all over my mind. This summer I continually told myself I wasn’t good enough to serve internationally and each week God put another person in my life with connections to the World Race. Funny, right?
God is constantly revealing a deeper plan to me, He never stops pushing me to places I never thought I could go. I never thought I’d quit my job and I did. I never thought I’d commit to someone before I graduated college and I did. I never thought I’d give up everything that’s safe and comfortable and easy in order to serve Him internationally and I am. It really does make me laugh.
My mom used to tell me when I was growing up, “When you make plans, God laughs,” and that statement is so true. He doesn’t laugh because He is uncaring, He laughs because His plan is so much greater than anything we could EVER come up with.
So as I step out on this adventure, I laugh. I smile at where I’ve been and I beam at where I’m going. 11 countries in 11 months – that’s intense.
Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya.
The funny thing – there’s no way I can do this without God, without prayer, without support. And I know that He will provide it all.
