The Final Blog
Well, guys, we’re here. The final World Race blog. If I am being completely? honest with you all and myself, I’ve been procrastinating this a bit. I think it has to do with the fact that if I write this my race is actually over. I learned a lot this last week at our re-entry training, Project Searchlight. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that the Race is just a tool, it is not the end-all be-all of Tucker Stevens’ life. It was a good year, but this next one is going to be even greater! I can say that, because I realize that God can only become greater, and that was what this whole year was about, right? Anyways, let’s get going!
I normally end my blogs with a thank you, but I need to start this one with one. Thank you. The Race is a dream that I could not have realized without you all. Whether it was financial support, prayers, or just a kind word, I would not have even made it to the start of this journey without you all! Whenever I would speak doubt over being able to launch, you all reassured me that I could. You spoke hope into my life, and I am beyond thankful for you. I just want to thank you again, because you deserve it. Thank you, for the opportunity to pursue the Lord in such a radical way, you helped bring the Gospel to the world!
If I am being honest, I was a fake before the Race. I put on my facade of being a good Christian teen. I didn’t party, drink, do drugs, nor really anything to give myself a bad rap. I also didn’t pursue the Lord. Sure, I went to church and did all the church things that were expected of me, but that is all it was. It was me fulfilling the expectations of those around me, with no actual pursuit of the Lord in sight. I can say now, that I know the Lord on an extremely intimate level. I know Him, and He knows me. It is quite wonderful, radical, and life changing!
I seriously do not know what to write in this moment. I have tried a couple of different paragraphs, but none of them actually feel right. So, I’m just going to make a list of things I’ve gained over the course of the Race, tools that I’ve put in my tool belt. Here they are:
Perspective
How to speak the hard things in love
What (some of) my gifts are
The understanding of myself
Real relationships
A little understanding of the radical God I serve
Discipline
Self-awareness
Love
Humility
Forgiveness
This is just a little of what I’ve learned, the list could go on and on. If I were to write about all of these, we would both be here for a while, and I think I would just be an emotional wreck.
The Race was not always these amazing, easy, learning moments. Honestly, a lot of it was hard…like really hard. All those things I listed above came from overcoming some really hard things. I had to fight for every single one of those good things. They were always there, I just had to wade through my own junk to get there. So, here is a list of the things that I have overcome and fought through:
Pride
Being a victim
The desire to be 100% right and understood
Being uncomfortable
That my emotions were not valuable nor necessary
Bitterness
Passive-aggressiveness
Culture
Boredom
Like the good things, the list of the bad and hard things can go on forever as well. Everyday was a fight with something, and it was exhausting. The battle pushed me towards the Lord, and I had to learn to rely on Him and his unlimited goodness.
This blog could go on forever, but I think I am going to end it here. If you have any questions about my Race, please contact me! I would love to grab coffee with you or even talk on the phone. I want to share it all! As a reminder, I am once again fundraising for a discipleship school called CGA! If you feel called to give you can do so above, or at my CGA blog site tuckerstevens.adventurescga.org ! I will be posting a blog with more details about the program later today or tomorrow if you want more information! Once again, I just want to thank you all for helping me embark on this amazing journey. It would not have happened without all of you!
Love and Blessings,
Tucker Stevens
