Good morning all!I'm not a great transitioner so I'll just jump right in to why I'm writing this blog. Just to let you all in on what I've been going through lately.
So this past week I've been really thinking about what going on this trip will mean for my life. On one hand I will be living in reckless abandonment to Christ not counting the cost because Jesus is more than worth it. It means I'll have to trust God to lead, guide, provide and do work in and through me. On the other hand it also means that I'll be leaving the life I have behind. I know it sounds silly when you really think about it. Stay at your job and move up the corporate ladder or FOLLOW JESUS? Easy choice right? But lately all I've been hearing at my job is my opportunity to be promoted and all the money I could be making. I do have a great job for all intents and purposes but it's definitely not where I should stay. I keep thinking wow I may not be able to get another job like this or make the same amount of money I'm making or be able to have the kind of lifestyle I guess I'd always envisioned. It's so funny how something that you think you've always wanted can be within your grasp and then once you have it you realize that it is not worth it. It's not worth me not following the voice of God. And this is so textbook. This situation reminds me of when Jesus goes to the fishermen and tells them to follow Him. They were actually on their job. The job that they relied on to feed themselves yet they trusted Him enough to IMMEDIATELY drop everything to follow Jesus.
Why is there even this hesitation on what to do? We’re all conditioned to have pretty much the same plan; go to college, get a good job, get married and live happily ever after. And as a Christian, especially in this day and age, your first instinct is to think about how you can “fit” God into your life instead of giving it all to Him. All last night I could hardly sleep. I kept thinking about Philippians 3:7-8 where Paul says “But whatever were gains to me I now consider lost for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” I was studying Philippians not too long ago but I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence that this one scripture was stuck in my head. I just kept thinking over and over “surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” Then this morning when I woke up I laid eyes on the book Radical which was flipped over on my nightstand and the first words I saw were “What Is Jesus Worth to You.” No lie. If you have the book then flip it over. It’s at the top of the back cover. So at this point I’m thinking how could I not trust God? God who’s never failed me, God who created me and knows my innermost being, God who’s never left nor forsaken me, God who knows the plans that He has for me, God who knows everything and is in control of everything, God my Father who loves me more than I can even fathom.
Another scripture that keeps popping in my head is, “For whoever tries to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” I can’t even pretend that I automatically knew where to find that scripture but all I know is that it keeps popping in my head so I looked it up on biblegateway.com and it can actually be found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. So I guess if Jesus said it that many times He definitely must mean it.
So to sum it up. I’m not really losing out on anything by going on The World Race but gaining more than I even know. Sure I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get back or how I’m going to pay all these student loans off or if and when I’ll ever get married but that’s where faith comes in. And if faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen then I’m in perfect position for God to really grow my faith cause I’m truly walking by faith and not by sight on this one and just trusting that God hasn’t brought me this far to leave me. This World Race will be not just an experience but an opportunity to really live the way Jesus lived—on mission–trusting in God for everything– making disciples! And like one Racer said in their blog, the journey doesn’t start when we leave, it starts now!!!
