Over the past month or so I have had the opportunity to travel around the country in order to say goodbye to friends and family before I leave on the race. I have travelled down to Houston, Dallas, North Carolina, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington DC, and elsewhere.
My purpose has been to spend time with the people I love before I leave for the entire year.
It has been an interesting experience doing this because every moment feels sweeter and more profound when you know you are not going to see them for a while.
As a result I have connected more with my brother than I have in a long time. I have welled up with love for my 92 year old grandmother after we discussed the same topic for the third time. I have appreciated each one of my friend’s hearts as I have heard about their lives.
Spending time with people, listening to them, and sharing in their lives is truly an incredible blessing.
I think too often we are so caught up in our own plans and our own lives that we forget to stop and enter into the lives of those around us. When we truly listen to those around us, spend time with them, and value what they have to say we begin to appreciate them more for who they are and where they are at.
I have been so blessed to be able to spend time with these family members and friends and my time with them has been made much sweeter by the fact that I will not see them in at least a year.
In fact I feel more prepared for the World Race than I think I could have ever been if I had spent the time on my own relaxing before I left. The love and encouragement that has been poured out on me has built me up and prepared me to go out and serve God around the world because I know that I have such supportive friends and family back here in the States praying for me and supporting me.
So here is a good question for you. Are you so caught up in your own life that you don’t have the time to enter into the lives of the friends and family you have around you?
Don’t let life go by without actively loving and participating in the lives of the people you love. Take time away from your busy schedule to appreciate these people.
So I want to challenge you to call your old friends, sit down and listen to the lives of your family, spend time with the people you care about because if you don’t I guarantee you that you will lose them over the years and your life will have much less love and fulfillment in it than you can potentially have.
As for me I will be leaving to go down to Atlanta on July 4th for our launch. The first country we will be going to is Thailand. I do not know what to expect but I know God is going to do great things. So please join me in praying for my squad as we go into Thailand for our first month.
