Why I Race
“Because I felt like God called me to the race.” That is a true statement, and the main reason I am here on the race, but it’s not the only reason. The race for me has been the most difficult and challenging experience I’ve ever had in life, and at the same time the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. The most challenging has been the difficulty of being an introvert and wanting to be ‘left alone’ while being in the midst of the most intentional of communities. I’ve learned that wanting to just ‘be left alone’ is a poor attitude when you’re being pushed to grow and change; being ‘left alone’ is not a thing on the race (nor in life as a follower of Christ), and that’s a good thing. For a good chunk of the race, too long in my opinion, I didn’t know what the ‘change’ part of ‘growth and change’ meant. Looking back I can see that I tried to change who I was at the core because I was unsure what kind of ‘change’ I should be going for. At the same time I was trying to fit into a new community and struggling to be myself. This uncertainty in who I was at the core led to instability in my walk with Christ and the enemy jumped at the opportunity to make me fall in my instability. Well, he won’t win. He has already lost. I’ve turned a corner in my world race life and it’s a turn that is propelling me forward into life after the race. God is showing me that, at my core, I am a Man of Peace. He is using the race to grow me and mature me as a Man of Peace. I am becoming His Oak of Righteousness and at the same time I already am. Everyday I listen and talk to God first before anyone else. Everyday He lovingly and gently teaches me how to be the Man of Peace He is calling me to be. He is showing me what love looks like through Scripture and daily life. He is expanding my heart to love deeper than I ever have before. I can literally take no credit for any of the changes He has made in my heart. He gets all the glory and always will. I am learning to love as He loves and see people the way He does. He has given me His heart for my community and eyes to see the race as it truly is; an incredible blessing. What I want out of the next two and a half months (yeah that’s a crazy small amount) is to continue to grow in maturity as a Man of Peace and see more change within my heart of humility, teach-ability, and honor. These last three will fall into place as Jesus continues to expand my heart of love for His people. My heart of stone is becoming soft and overflowing with love for His people; a wellspring of life, and it feels so good! I Race because God has called me to. He won’t ‘leave me alone’ and let me stay the way I am; He loves me too much. So He called me to the Race and all for my Sanctification. Sanctification is the all-encompassing word that I’ve been searching for on my Race. Sanctification, at its most basic, means growth and change for which the ultimate goal is to look like Christ; to live like Christ here on earth. And that I am so thankful for! I’ll leave you with some Scriptures that, if read in the order given, might help you see my train of thought:
1) Romans 12:9-13, Ephesians 4:1-5:21, Galatians 5:1-26, Ephesians 2:11-22, Colossians 3:1-17
2) John 17:3, Jeremiah 22:15-16, Isaiah 61, Ephesians 5:1-2; 4:32
Love,
-Paul
