“Man, I can’t wait until July! Life will be so exciting!”
“I just know God’s going to use me on the Race.”
“I’m really going to get to see God at work this next year!”
These are all statements I’ve made at one point or another, and of course I believe them to be true. The problem is that it’s statements like these that show how discontent I am with my life as it is now.
Since graduating this past summer and returning home from my 2-month mission trip, I have been living in such a way that doesn’t quite fit all the plans I’d had for life after college. Just before leaving for Europe I’d made the tough decision to move back in with my parents and save money for a year while I figured out the next step. I took two part-time jobs and moved an apartment’s worth of stuff into a tiny, built-in porch. After the first few weeks of the “honeymoon phase” were over, I began to feel restless. My closest friends had moved away or began “real life” jobs. I spent most of my free time on Netflix or watching “The Price is Right” with my parents. And, to my shame, I fell into a funk.
You see, in my mind, the life I’ve been living for the past several months has felt like an in-between stage. I felt like I was merely biding my time until my actual life began. On some level, I also apparently decided my relationship with God could be put out on the back-burner as well.
It took lots of prayer and several tough-love conversations to finally wake me up. I knew God had something else planned for me, so I applied for The World Race. Waiting to hear back was one of the most agonizing times of my life. I changed my mind almost by the hour. By the time I was finally accepted, though, I knew there was no other choice. This is something I have to do.
But now? Now I find myself in the same position. I have this giant thing looming in front of me; 11 countries in 11 months is a dream come true for a wanderer like myself. I’m so ready to have my faith tested, to be able to show Gods love to the nations, to write this next chapter in my story. Yet as I skim through the pages I’m living now I realize that they are full of impatience and selfishness.
What I’ve come to see is that God isn’t waiting for the Race to show me how powerful He is. I don’t have to wait until July to start loving His children. (I work at an after school program for Pete’s sake!) Yes, I believe I am called to go on The World Race. Yes, it will be the experience of a lifetime. But He’s called me to live my entire life for him, not just those parts that look exciting or are filled with more adventure. He’s called all of us to be missionaries, no matter where our mission fields may be.
Right now, my mission field happens to be hanging out with kids at an elementary school and then cleaning toilets on a college campus. Is it the stuff that makes headlines? No. But is it still Kingdom-building worthy? You betcha.
The Race is now. It starts here, today.
Lord, let me be ready.
