Before coming to Romania this month, we made a pit stop in Ireland for one week for The Awakening Conference put on by Adventures in Missions. This is to bring all world racers from the field together for one week to reenergize us and be poured into before heading back out onto the field. It was awesome to meet other racers both old and new. There were teams who had hit the field just two short months ago and other teams who were headed directly home after Ireland, completely finished with the race. It was nice to relax and not worry about much while being poured into. We pour a lot out during this trip but very rarely get poured into like we do at home. Church services on the race are just not the same, although lovely in their own beautiful ways. We are either preaching the sermons ourselves or have no clue what is being said because of the language barrier. We work hard to pour into one another throughout the months and watch sermons on our computers and so on, but there is just nothing like a good worship session and sermon in English!! So, needless to say, we were very thankful for our time in Ireland and had an absolute blaster!
The Awakening had a lot of good break-out sessions that we needed to hear. A lot of the sessions were preparing us to go back home and to help us start thinking about what that might look like. The reality of things we might go through going home and how to deal with it all a little better.
We had a re-entry session, life after the race session, and a Kingdom dreams session. Every single one of them was amazing. I was super thankful to have participated and heard all of these things before heading back home in a few months. I had not worried much about what I was going to do once I got back home before The Awakening because I wanted to focus on being here as much as possible, trusting that God would give me that information whenever the time was right. He has spoken to me about dreams, visions and passions for my future but nothing is set in stone or ready yet, so I have just written it all down as it comes and continued in great pursuit of Him.
Out in downtown Dublin, Ireland (clean & looking sorta normal for once)!
BUT, after The Awakening, they kind of released us to start thinking about our future. I was happy to hear the awesome teachings and start to pray about what is burning in my heart and soul. I started to pray and I saw that it was starting to consume most all of us. A lot of people have been talking about it including myself and the fact is, I just don’t know yet. I am still on this race and I still want to be focused here so, I am releasing it once again.
Last night, I was up praying for a squad mate with malaria and after my time was over, I was listening to some worship music and the song by Sanctus Real “Whatever You’re Doing” came on. The lyrics to this song just spoke to the core of my being. God clearly said to me, “Ricki Joy, let me have it. Surrender and release it all. Don’t you trust me?” so, once again, I released my life to Him all over again, this time for my future after the race.
Definition of SURRENDER:
To give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.
Before coming on the World Race, I performed and walked this song out. I had to completely surrender every dream I ever had, every thought and plan I thought were fabulous for my life and release all that to Him, knowing His plans for me were way better than my own and trust that He had it all figured out and would guide me in the right direction. Truthfully, God has never let me down my entire life; He has always guided me in the next direction. He has made his perfect will happen whatever it took to get me there at the exact right timing.
The lyrics…
Sanctus Real
Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)
It’s time for healing time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
All I can do is surrender
[Chorus]
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something heavenly
Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender…
To…
[Chorus]
Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly
It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out.
So, before the race I had performed the lyrics to this song and now here I am once again truly surrendering and releasing the next phase of my life to Him. I am allowing His plans to be walked out rather than trying to figure it out on my own. He has never let me down and I trust that He won’t this time either so, it all boils down to TRUST. I trust Him with my life and whatever He is doing with me. I surrender and release my future to Him totally trusting what He has ahead of me and what that might look like.
Definition of TRUST:
To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something.
To have confidence; hope: Things work out if one will trust.
The “M” Squad after the squad dance off!!
In the meantime, as it’s released to Him, I will not worry about it. If He gives me something, if He talks or speaks, and if He gives new dream or vision I will write it down but its surrendered to Him. He tells me not to worry, that it just wastes my time. He already has it planned out anyways so, why would I? He’s taken care of me my whole life and I know it won’t just stop now. He has always given me the next step at the exact right timing. He is constantly asking, “Do you trust me?” It is a daily conversation we have about everything and the answer to the questions is…YES! Yes, I do T-TOTALLTY trust Him! He rocks my world and knows what is best for me. I signed over the papers to my life years ago when I accepted Him into my heart and He wrote out the plans for my life 26 years ago while He was knitting me together so, why would I even have the right to WORRY about where my life is headed next?
I am once again totally surrendering and letting go of my future. It’s His anyways and whatever does not glorify him I pray He will destroy. There is something so sweet about surrender and giving it all over to Him. Letting go sets your life into FREEDOM, it’s kinda beautiful handing it over, messy and scary, but always beautiful.
Definition of FREEDOM:
The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. Personal liberty as opposed to bondage of slavery. Exemption from the presence of anything specified.
I watched a sermon this past morning that just rocked me to the core with reminder. The reality that I am trying to be the image of Christ, who is the definition of radical and that my entire lifestyle should always look like a reflection of Him. I should look crazy to this world and that this race is just the beginning of a radical, crazy lifestyle. The funny thing is though, if we are suppose to be the image of Christ and He is radical then, when we are radical, we should be the definition of what should be normal. I am imitating my Savior, a radical man who laid it all down and chose to die for me.
So, here I go being crazy again and throwing my life out into the unknown, giving it all over to him. I am letting go and letting Him. He is working and molding my life into what He created my purpose for. Nothing falls into place unless it’s His will anyways and yes, He will always give redemption but if we will surrender the first time, He will be able to work in the fashion that He designed in the first place without wasting time and use us for His glory in the exact way that He planned from the beginning, giving us what is best for our lives.
