Future racer? Let me tell you some things you may not have heard yet about the race. Not to scare you off, but to keep you in a mindset of reality. No matter how prepared you think you are for the race, you’re not. You might think you’ll be okay with trading in all of your comforts that you don’t even notice, but it’s hard. Growing is hard. This trip is HARD.
These are the parts of the race nobody tells you about…
You will miss home
You will want to hug your mom and laugh with your best friend and talk to your sister
You will lose a lot of freedom
The freedom to drive, to be alone, to walk safely down the street, to wear what you want, to make your own schedule
You will get lost and wander the streets in a place you don’t know and it’s scary
Living in community is really hard
Wearing the same outfit every three days gets old
Sometimes the water turns off for 2 days
Ministry is not always fun
You will forget what it’s like to feel pretty or even like a girl
Somedays all you will want to do is cry and you don’t know why
You will see the enemy so vividly
You will actually miss snow
You will just want to know God’s plan and why He has you here
These are the times when dependency on the Lord reaches an all time high. These are the times when you finally realize that you CANNOT do this. Only God can do this. You must walk so in step with Him that you are not wavered by the day to day mishaps.
Then there are those moments when everything seems perfect and so full of Jesus, and you press on because of the times like this…
When a homeless boy remembers your face weeks later because you gave him food one night
Laughing with your team
Family trips to the grocery store
Knowing that you have lifelong Godly friends
When country music plays at Cold Stone….yes there is Cold Stone in El Salvador
When Christian fixes the shower and makes it hot
Watching God’s people find Him
Playing Twister on TV to promote your football team
Hearing kids worship at the top of their lungs that they have decided to follow Jesus
2 for 1 ice cream everyday
Seeing your teammates grow into what the Lord has for them
You yourself growing into what the Lord has for you
I promise if you focus on them, the Jesus moments will always be greater. Once you come to the realization that you are not here for you, nothing matters except Jesus and making Him known.
The race is not glorious. The race is exhausting in every way. But trust me, you will find Jesus on the race. You will find His beauty. You will find His love. You will find His people. You will find His purpose for you.
