- to give up with the intent of never again claiming a right or interest in
- to withdraw from often in the face of danger or encroachment
- to withdraw protection, support, or help from
- to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly
- to cease from maintaining, practicing, or using
- to cease intending or attempting to perform
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” – Dante
Matthew 19:21 – Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.
According to the ways of the world, the word Abandon has a negative connotation; in American society, one does not generally associate abandonment with positive thoughts. Just take a moment to read the definition above according to Webster’s dictionary, most of those points don’t seem very cheerful and up beat, do they? Now take a moment and think about the words of Donte from his work Inferno
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”.
The thought of this probably doesn’t stir up a lot of warm feelings inside, does it? Yet, this is EXACTLY what the Lord calls us to do, and has placed on my heart. A little confusing? Well, thankfully, God is not a God of confusion! Let’s break this down a little further.
The Lord calls us all to a life of abandonment, now does that mean you’re irresponsible, and neglect what He has given you responsibility over in a situation, NO! in fact, quite the opposite. He is calling all of His children to leave the “big” dreams, the “big” plans we have for ourselves. He is calling all of His children to leave behind all of the stuff we have collected, all of our the things we think give us status in society, all of the accumulation and things what we think will make us happy, or fill the void, instead of pursuing His love and calling for our lives. Rather, He is calling us to ABANDON all of that, give it all up, leave it behind… and for what? What is waiting for us IF we do that? This is where most people stop in their relationship with Christ. This is where I have stopped with my relationship with Christ…until He put the Race in my life.See on the other side of the questions, the other side of the Abandon, the other side of everything that says “No” is very simple. Want to know what it is?
Jesus.
A true, meaningful, deep, and intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe and His BIG BIG BIG plans for your life, rather than your “big” plans. His path for your life is far greater than even your wildest dreams. There are things that He has for you that you would say could never happen to you, where you are currently in life. There are amazing highs, and gut-wrenching low’s, each that are traversed the same, with eyes focus on Christ alone, through it all, He holds you in His hand and does not have the ability to let His children go.
This is where my story of Abandon comes in, after first hearing about The World Race in October 2015. The Race was everything I had been praying for, for at the time over a year. My response was instantly a response of fear, rather that of faith. I ran from the Lord’s plan for my life, rather than embracing it and trusting His providence. I questioned my worth, believing that my past, my insecurities, my mistakes, and my poor, poor, non-Christ honoring decisions could somehow trump what He had waiting for me.
The biggest thing I allowed to hold me back from abandoning what my ‘big’ plans were and fully committing to what the Lords plans are for my life, was my past. Some of you know my story fully, others only in part, but regardless each and every person on the Earth has part of their story, some chapter of their life that they would rather not relive, remember, or have light shine on. I have times like that in my life, chapters that I would prefer to skip over and forget, but thats not why the Lord allowed those seasons to happen in my life. See, each time I allowed my past to be the reason I didn’t say “Yes!” to the Lord I was choosing to hold on to my perceived social standing, my false sense of myself and not seeing the beautiful change that happens when you trust the Lord with all of these things that He can provide. Don’t believe me? Your past too messed up? Lets take a look at the “All-Star’s” of the Bible, heres a great list I found at Bible.org:
Abraham lied. Sarah laughed at God’s promises.
Hosea’s wife was a prostitute. Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair. Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor. Abraham was to old.
David was too young. Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead. John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow. Jonah ran from God.
Paul was a murderer. So was Moses.
Miriam was a gossip. Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth. Martha was a worry-wort.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, Paul and lots of folks.
I don’t know about you, but there are quite a few on this list, okay more like at least half just on that list, that I have struggled with, or are part of my story. The Lord however, used each and every one of these people and their past in mighty, mighty ways for His Kingdom. However, these great and wonderful things that the Lord used these individuals for, didn’t just happen out of the blue. The Lord called them out of the situations they were in and the sin they were in, and called them into something that I’m sure they never could have imagined for themselves. They chased after the Lord with reckless abandon and never went back. So, what does that look like for me?
Once I knew that The World Race is what the Lord was calling me to, I will say, there was not and instant moment of abandon; it has been a growing process. At first, back in 2015, what I thought were the BIG things really turned into the ‘big’ things, giving up a year at home, a year of things with my family and the perceived safety and comfort of the US. Then the Lord spoke to me, which let me tell y’all, doesn’t happen often to me and when it does, it scares me beyond belief in the most peaceful way imaginable. When I got the job at Sullivan’s Island in October 2016, I was leaving the temporary town hall in my little Scion tC down Middle St. passing the fire station and I heard the audible voice of the Lord say “I’m giving you this for a year” which at the time, I assumed that meant that He would provide a different opportunity at another department; Boy was I wrong! At a service at Awaken Church just prior to this, the Lord planted yet another seed for the race and abandonment. Our drummer at the time, and current World Racer Austin Fowler approached me, having never met me prior to this and gave me some encouragement straight from the Lord, little did Austin know the importance this conversation would have on my walk with the Lord. In a short follow up conversation months later in mid-March, while Austin and his wife Faith were on the Race in Peru, I knew the Lord was calling me to abandonment and going on the race now and not put it off or make excuses.
From that point, choosing to say Yes! choosing to abandon what I had planned for my life and for myself, the Lord has taken me on an amazing journey that has only just begun. He has continued to provide opportunities for me to step out in faith in this wild process and chase after Him with reckless abandon. From giving up a very productive and promising career as a firefighter at 3 separate departments as well as another awesome job, to selling almost everything I own; not for the money, but because of Him putting Matthew 19:21 and Matthew 6:19-20 on my heart (go look them up, you won’t be disappointed!) to the absolutely amazing squad that is much more like a family and the embodiment of the body of Christ than I’ve ever experienced.
Now, He has me just days away from stepping off on a year that will undoubtably change the trajectory of my life. Flight to launch, Booked. Bills, covered. Spending quality time with the family, in progress. Bags packed, eh kinda. Conversations about the Race, happening daily (in fact I think my shift at work is just as ready to launch as I am, just so they don’t have to hear about the Race!) Mental Mini-Freakouts, had a couple. Fundraising, still going strong! I would love if each and every one of you would partner with me and my Squad in our abandonment of the status quo and chase after the Lord wherever you are. If thats giving to my financial support, give well outside of your comfort. If thats being in prayer for our hearts and the hearts of those on our path, pray without ceasing, day and night. If thats to go, GO! Drop everything you are doing, and chase the Lord with reckless abandon! I promise what He has waiting is far better than anything you could have ever imagined!
P.S. If you’re reading this and do not have a personal relationship with God, or you do not know where you stand with the Lord, I would love to talk with about Him and His unconditional Love for you.
