Hey, Racers!! This is specifically for you! There are things that we always hear from the Church that are great in theory, but practicing them is so much harder. I’ve been looking at many recently, but here are four specific thoughts.
1. Respect everyone you meet, no matter who they seem to be on the outside.
We are not called to judge, but to love. People should be respected if for no other reason than because they are made in the image of Father, Son and HS. Yesterday my squad went to a water park in Vung Tau. I took some of my journaling notes, and sat at one of the cafe tables to write out some thoughts. A couple of Vietnamese children waved and said “hello”, and I smiled, waved back, and went back to work because I wanted to get stuff done. A few minutes later, a full class of children and their teacher came up and asked if they could take a picture with me. I was a little annoyed because I didn’t want to be interrupted, so I quickly took the picture, and went to go back to work, only to have the kids stand looking over my shoulder at what I was doing. I was agitated, but decided to ignore them until their teacher took them away. I wish I would have talked with them. They deserve more respect than a polite smile and a picture. They are Father’s children just like I am.
2. Love not only the new people you meet, but especially love the family of believers.
Sometimes as we are loving the people to whom we feel “called”, we forget about loving the very people with whom we are living and serving. One of my first team’s contacts told us of a group of World Racers that had an extreme amount of talent, singing and paint and other skills, but it was obvious to him that the team did not like each other at all. They rarely interacted and spent more time away from each other. That (thankfully) was not the heart of my team. We made even more of a positive impact on that host because we proved we loved all people, not just our team or the host or the people.
3. Honor the authorities set above you.
On the World Race, there are various positions of authority and responsibility. Because of the nature of the Race, the age range to which it appeals, and the HS leading in the choices of who fills positions, you often will have people in authority over you who are under than you, sometimes by several years. My squad leaders are the same age as some of the team leaders. They have the position of authority and ultimately some of the decisions of where you go and serve are made by those individuals. Honor them. They are there by Father’s anointing.
4. Fear Father, for he is Almighty King of the one true Kingdom.
No matter what, Father is the end of everything. He can do whatever he wants, he just chooses to let you request things from him. He has given us his power and strength, but he could also take it away. On the Race, he may choose to test you. He may choose to take physical objects away from you. He may choose to make you wait on his timing, and mess up your plans to complete his own. He has that power and authority. Respect and fear him.
#redefiningdisciple #GodIsInControl
