A month and a half before I left on the World Race I was told to cancel out of my mind any and all expectations I had for the Race. Prior to leaving, I believed I had done precisely this; however, God revealed to me in Thailand, that I was still holding onto expectations regarding ministry.
Over the past month, God allowed me to catch a glimpse of His crazy awesome planning skills. I noticed many of my squad mates connecting and loving the people they met in Thailand with a passion that came directly from God. Their interest in the girls working at the bars, the women working in the coffee shop, or the kids living in the slums was pure. It seemed they were in the right place at the right time, learning truths that would carry them far into the future. It was a pleasure to witness some of my teammates discovering, for the first time, a connection to a ministry focus they would pursue for the rest of their lives.
This observation challenged me, because in the midst of their overflowing infatuation, I was struggling deeply to find the same connection my peers were experiencing. For the first time in awhile, I found myself struggling to love and connect with people. It was difficult for me to bond with people in a culture very opposite my personality type. Day after day, I had to be intentional in seeking God’s love for the people I met.
The full lesson God prepared for me in this period did not become clear until the end of the month, when I realized a simple truth in a new context. God made each of us different and unique for His great purpose, to love all people. Included in these differences, are passions for different forms of ministry. Just as I was struggling to connect with my ministry in Thailand, He was lavishing this passion and connection on others. These differences are OK and a true gift from God!
Moving forward on my World Race journey, I will be serving in many different types of ministries. Some will illustrate God’s love through teaching English to children, while others may entail construction or bar outreach. Regardless of the ministry type, I cannot expect to automatically have a passion for each ministry’s focus. I can however, anticipate that God is giving this passion to someone else on my squad or team. In every ministry, the main purpose is to illustrate Christ’s love. As long as I continue to seek God’s heart in love, I can trust that He is using believers and their God given passions to reach people everywhere.
