A few days before I left the States for the World Race in January, I was doing some last minute shopping. I came across this Justin Bieber singing toothbrush for $10. I couldn’t understand why anyone would buy this. It made me think of the necessity of some of the items on my personal packing list for the race. If I don’t have X, Y or Z, will I really be okay for 11 months? Is it possible for me to pick it up along the route?
One item you simply can't live without on the Race…a Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush!!
Well, last week I spoke to the youth group at the Cambodian church we’ve been working with in Phnom Penh. I shared with the youth three main concepts, which I also impart to you, future World Racers, as well as to anyone else reading this blog. If you are going to run this race (the World Race and/or race of life) I suggest instead of the singing toothbrush, you take with you or need to have FAITH, TRUST and the ability to SURRENDER.
This is what I shared with the teens (and now with you):
God-given desires and interests. I come from the State of Alaska. Alaska is awesome. I absolutely love it. I participate in a lot of adventurous activities there. Camping, fishing for big salmon, staying away from bears, skiing, and running and climbing mountains. And while Cambodia experiences a six month rainy season, the part of Alaska I come from experiences about six months of snow. (yeah!)
Skiing across frozen lakes = winter adventure in Alaska
God has given me these adventurous desires and interests. In addition to outdoorsy adventures I told them I also love to travel. About a year ago I thought to myself how can I use these desires and interests that I have to bring glory to God. How can it be more than just about me? Because life is not just about me. I recently heard it put this way: when Christ-centered preparations collide with Godly opportunity = divine sparks occur.
So I ended up doing an internet search for adventure and missions because I like to travel and I thought how can I travel for more than just travel’s sake? I came across Adventures in Missions and their 11 month mission trip called the World Race. The idea is to travel 11 countries over 11 months for the purpose of glorifying God and sharing the gospel and love of Jesus Christ…. to love others!
Hanging out in a tuk tuk with kids from church in Cambodia this morning; I absolutely love them!
Faith. I didn’t instantly sign up for the journey. The idea of leaving my comfortable life, my job, my house, my car, my family and friends sounded like a pretty big deal. Around the same time, my friend gave me a book entitled If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat. The book title is referring to Matthew 14 where Jesus is on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus calls out to Peter and asks him to step out in faith and come across the water to meet him. Peter steps out in faith and begins to walk on the water.
Peter could have stayed in the comfort, security and safety of the boat. But he chose to step out in faith and walk on water out to Jesus.
God called Peter to get out of the boat. Peter listened to God’s calling and stepped out. My question to you is Is God Calling You To Get Out of the Boat? If so, are you doing it?! It might be scary. You may want to stay in the safety of your own boat. But look at the thrill of walking out to Jesus. One of the first steps is to get out of the boat. The rest will follow. But you have to take the risk. I challenge you to learn to trust and listen to God’s voice. Is he asking you get out of the boat?
"Sink or swim? I'm diving in? I'm diving in!"
And don't try to take the boat with you! 😉
Surrender. Sometimes stepping out of the boat isn’t always easy. Sometimes you are met with opposition or hardship. To go on this mission trip, I had a number of obstacles and challenges that presented themselves. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go on the trip after all.
I became exhausted and completely overwhelmed. How could I get ready and everything I needed to get done within a three month time frame? There were several nights I cried myself to sleep asking God for rest and sleep so I could function the next day.
It got so bad, that at one point, I got down on my knees and cried out to God, like David did a lot in Psalms. I told God I couldn’t handle all the stress of “leaving my life” for a year. “I’m overwhelmed and you need to take over.” I SURRENDER ALL. (click here to read my "surrender" blog)
Surrender.
And you know what? God answered back to me. He said, I’ve got you firmly in the palms of my hands. I have you enclosed in my blanket of peace and protection. "I've got you."
So, I share all this with you for three reasons:
- Really think about what desires and interests God has given to you. How can you use those to bring glory to God and share God's love?
- Pray for God to reveal an opportunity that you can step out in GENUINE faith, like Peter. Perhaps it’s a journey around the world. Maybe it’s just stepping out of the boat to share God’s love with someone close to you, a family member or a friend.
- Lastly, surrender all of it to God. Give God control of it all and don’t try to manage it yourself. It’s not your burden to bear. Seek God in all thy ways and he shall direct you. He will give you a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Learn to Trust.
Keep the Faith.
Step out of the boat.
Fully Surrender.
Seek the adventure you were made for!
We fly out to Malaysia on June 1! Our time is winding down here. This afternoon, we took about 20 youth out for a surprise! A trip to the mall for ice cream cones!
Some of the youth we took out for ice cream this afternoon!
….. Love from Cambodia…..
