Everything is set… I went out last weekend and bought the
rest of what I will need for this coming year such as a tent, a sleeping bag, a
sleeping pad, as well as other little necessities. And even that backpack that I received for my birthday last
year will come in handy for more than those weekend backpacking get-a-ways that it was originally planned for. Now I just need to figure out what
exactly to pack and how to get it all in my backpack! I will let you know how all of that goes in a few weeks when I actually pack for the year. 🙂
In other news, my family is in the process of moving across town this week, so I had things piled all over my bed last night and did not feel like moving
it all off. I then decided that it
wouldn’t be a bad time to set up my tent and sleeping bag and “test” it
all out in our living room. So I
did. And let me just say that I
was still in the comfort of my own house and I was already wondering what in the
world I am getting myself into.
This will be my life for the next year. “Panic attack” would be a light expression for what is going
through my head.
It is so easy (and probably the right way to do things) to
get so engulfed in the Lord’s workings and just peacefully go along for the
ride, trusting Him with the details.
But when you start to lose your gaze on the Creator and question His
plans for your life, things get scary.
Because with God, He makes crazy plans. They are good plans, but they are crazy, out-of-this-world
kind of plans that most “sane” humans would deem as “not intelligent”. And here I am smack
dab in the midst of “God’s crazy plans”.
However, my mind starts wandering (and yes, these probably seem really silly, but)… No hot bubble baths (and I am addicted to these), no feeling of “cozy, heavy, snug,
tightness” of my comforter piled on my fluffy bed where I have the freedom to spread out and take over all of it, no thousands (ok, maybe not
that many) of different scents of perfume to choose from each day, no just driving (in my own car for that
matter) to Starbucks by myself to just sit and journal, no arguing with my roommate about how hot or cold our room ‘needs’ to be, etc…
But you know what, my heart actually YEARNS for the
simplistic lifestyle that is going to be my life over this next year. I will learn what it’s like to not be
so selfish. I will learn that I
will survive without a closet full of different kinds of clothes to choose from
each day. I will learn what the
body of Christ really is all about…what true community really looks like as we
serve one another daily.
I’m not saying that this is not going to be messy. But it definitely isn’t going to be an
organized happy day all of the time.
That being said, my World Race Training Camp begins in
Georgia this Saturday. I am so
thrilled to meet my 40 other squadmates (aka my new family for the next year!),
but I am also a little nervous to see what God is going to do over those 8 days
in my life. It is definitely going
to be an intense week and your prayers are going to be greatly
appreciated. Talking with a few of my teammates, most of us have been having a really hard week…lack of sleep, restlessness and even the feeling of defeat. But this is only confirmation of what God is doing and will do through each our lives–using us to love on people all over the world and tell them about the Love of Christ!! Because when the Kingdom of God advances, the enemy groans and tends to put up an ugly fight because he hates it. But I know that the Victory is already my Lord’s!
I know that He has a lot prepared
for us this week and this next year as we are shattered of everything we know about ourselves and see Christ working in our lives in a whole new amazing light.
Praise Jesus for His Kingdom!
