As the end of the race becomes more of a reality everyday, I wanted to post a blog with some general (unrelated) thoughts I have had while traveling the world that I haven’t already written about.
The Spiritual Realm
There is more going on in the spiritual realm than most of us recognize. The Bible is clear that forces more powerful than us and constantly at work. While I don’t have the tangible gift of always being able to visibly see or feel as much of what is going on spiritually as some of my squad mates do, it has been made clear to me this year that powerful forces are moving: both those of His wonderful Light as well as demonic ones.
Also, a big area of growth for me (and most people who come on the World Race) is a knowledge of and experience in the Holy Spirit. It’s unbelievable how powerful and present the Spirit it. The Spirit convicts us, leads us, and speaks through us.
How do we apply these two paragraphs? I think a consistent prayer that God would open our eyes to what is going on spiritually is a good start, and I think we also need to frequently pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us…and we need to listen intently to His Voice. Our ability to recognize the Spirit increases when we are steeped in the Word of God.
The Women
Anyone who knows me knows that I have huge heart for seeing men grow and step into the leaders that God has called them to be. I want to see men have a new realization of their sonship of God- that they are the Lord’s Child and Jesus is their best friend as well as King. That’s my heart. So why the heck was I sent out here with 35 women and only 7 other men? A big part of it was to hopefully minister to the girls, to learn more about a brother-sister relationship, and frankly just to be blessed by them.
Many times throughout this trip I have asked myself, “Is it worth it?” in regards to fighting for healthy brother-sister relationships with the women. There’s a lot to sort through, including past hurts from boyfriends, fathers, and just people in general. The reality, though, is that I know that I have caused wounds in women in the past. So while it has taken a lot of time and energy, I can say with a resounding yes that the relationships with my sisters on the squad have been worth it, and I am walking away from this trip with a new level of love for these women and some of the best friendships I have ever had with girls. And I must say that the women of this squad have so abundantly blessed me. Especially the women I have been on teams with: you girls have rocked my world. You have provided comfort, encouragement, laughter, and fun. I love you girls and am so thankful for how well you have loved me.
A-squad women: You are worth it. Every single one of you is worthy of God's love, and you are worthy of the love of a good man. You are His greatest creation. You deserve to be respected and honored. You have walked this year with incredible grace, patience, love, and joy–and your Dad is so incredibly proud of you.
Humbled by the Way they (the locals) Serve
I came on this trip expecting to serve people for a year. And I have…but I have also been overwhelmingly blessed and surprised by the unbelievable ways that people have served me. Whether it was in the poor countries we traveled to in Africa, the socialist part of Eastern Europe, or the bush of Asia, it seemed that our contacts and people in these countries were frequently serving us. I have felt so blessed, all year long. Thank you Jesus for the refreshment and blessing you were continually bringing through your body of believers!
Awed at their (the locals) Joy
The joy that people have- even without the vast amount of material possessions that we have as Americans, has been incredible. In Africa, basically the only toy we ever saw was a tire tube and a stick. The kids would roll the tire with their stick, almost like walking a dog. Give them that, a soccer ball, and they were as happy as could be. Now don’t get me wrong, the mentality of “We want to go to America because it would automatically make us rich” definitely exists, especially in Africa. Overall though, the people I have seen all year are mostly happy and content despite (or maybe because of) their simple lifestyles.
Community ain't Easy
I wrote a blog at the start of month 5 called Community on Steroids–and it spoke to how fantastic community is and the intensity of WR community. As the race has gone on, the community has increased even more, but I have also just been reminded of how difficult it really can be. It simply isn't always easy to love people well when you don't want to. Especially when you really can't get away from people like back in the States. Out here, it doesn't matter if you like the person or not, if they are on your squad or especially your team you HAVE to love them well because that is the biblical command and it is what Christ would do. Fighting for the community is so worth it–it leades to sharpening, fellowship, pushing each other to be more like Jesus, and just a lot of fun. But it is hard.
A verse that is so applicable is 1 John 4:20: If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
We are told over and over again to put on love over everything. We need to have easy, hard, fun, and difficult conversations all from a place of love. Our thought processes, speech, and actions all need to be motivated by love and with the best intent for the person. God desperately loves them; so should I.
The squad in Cambodia
Love you guys…I will be home in July!!!
