Month 10 of my World Race journey is coming to a close, and the time for true reflection is beginning to set in. How have I done on this journey? Have I experienced what I wanted? Grown in the ways I'd hoped? Have I given it my all?
This blog started as a list of things I regret on the World Race; the things that I meant to do and would change if given the opportunity. But every list of regrets is full of nots. Things you didn't do that you wish you had, things you would change if you had the chance to do it over. Regret is negative. Not only is it a list of nots, but it/s a list of things that cannot be changed. So instead of writing my list of regrets from the WR, the list of things I didn't do that I wish I had, I'm going to frame this as a list of dos. The best way to avoid regret is to be proactive. So here's my contribution.
1. Take advantage of the time with your squad. You're surrounded by 50 some incredible men and women who each bring something beautifully unique and different to the table. Talk to them, learn about them, know them. Don't wait until you're on a team with them or until you're over feeling shy. It's highly likely that neither of those things will ever happen, and these people are too good to miss.
2. People come on the race to grow. They come to learn more about Him, to grow in relationship with Him, and to grow into being more like Christ. One of the best ways to do this is by seeking out and accepting feedback (or for those non-racers, constructive criticism). Instead of growing defensive or feeling slighted when someone points out that flaw you're already working on (or trying to ignore), take it. Accept it. Bring it to God and let Him grow you in that area. And gracefully do the same for your teammate. Sure it's hard, but isn't that why you're here?
3. God's going to show up. Believe you me. He's going to show up in huge ways and you're going to be shocked. He's also going to show up in whispers as He did with Elijah.
"'The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.'
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."
Don't miss those quiet moments. Expect Him to be in everything, and celebrate that.
4. Expectations are a powerful and often overlooked thing. While they can be hard to pinpoint, being aware of your expectations and why you have them is critical. Unmet expectations can lead to disappointment, resentment, and bitterness. Recognize what expectations you're bringing into each individual situation, conversation, and relationship, and pray about whether they're fair or realistic. I went into our anniversary on the race with huge expectations. The squad was scheduled to be staying at a beachside resort on the Black Sea over our anniversary, and I was sure it was going to be magical. The truth? It was terrible. I had set my expectations so high that when they were unmet, it ruined the experience for me. It wasn't wrong for me to hope for the best, but my grandiose imagination produced circumstances that the World Race couldn't hope to satisfy, and as a result I was disappointed.
5. The Race provides you with a lot of downtime, and in fact you often spend more time out of ministry than in. This freedom provides the perfect opportunity for you to really spend time in the Word. Don't justify not doing so by arguing that there's plenty of time. You're right, there is, but you're missing out on all God has to teach and to show you in that moment. And as a result you're cheating yourself of the lessons He wants to build upon in the future.
6. Take the time to really process through what's going on and what you're learning. I like to pretend there's nothing going on in my head, and thus will do everything to avoid what helps me to best process: journaling. I can be the queen of procrastination and can get amazingly creative. But refusing to process what I'm learning only means that the lesson hasn't fully been grasped and will have to be re-taught. And trust me, that's no fun.
7. On the race, there are people around all the time. All. The. Time. There's no such thing as alone time, but you have to fight for your time to yourself. That might seem like an oxymoron, and to some extent it is. Get creative about how to be alone with yourself and your thoughts even while others are around you. You need it for your own sanity and for the emotional and physical well-being of your teammates!
8. The race lasts for almost a year. Everyone will tell you that it's the fastest year of your life; that time has never moved as slowly or as quickly as this year does. It's cliche, but it's absolute truth. Take in the moment. Yes, ok, you're in [fill in the country]. But what are you doing, seeing, smelling, experiencing? What weird animal is running down the road? What clothing is that woman wearing, and how is her child being carried? These are the interesting details that so easily become ordinary and overlooked, yet will mean so much to you in the end.
9. Pictures and videos of ministry and off-days are awesome, but don't forget the moments in between. You're sitting around the house with your team and someone's playing the guitar. Nothing weird about that, it happens every day. But that's what you want a picture/video of – it doesn't matter now but these are the memories that are going to stick with you. The big things matter and you'll remember them, but the race is made up of those seemingly mundane moments in between.
10. Bring up that nasty, hard, no-one-wants-to-talk-about-it-because-it's-ugly conversation early. As in today. Waiting around for the situation to resolve itself or for you to no longer be upset is like waiting for cats to grow wings and become (if possible) even cooler. While the conversation may not turn out how you'd like (see #3), it's better than realizing a friendship is damaged because you wouldn't get over yourself and deal with the issue.
11. Give yourself some grace. The race can be an amazing, life-changing experience in which you grow into a more Godly person, but it's not going to fix you. You're going to be impatient and rude and selfish and prideful and distrustful at times. You're going to be angry with teammates, with AIM, with God. And you know what, you're going to go home and experience the same things. World Race doesn't fix you as a person. It doesn't magically turn you into a replica of Jesus Christ who is full of joy, grace, forgiveness, and peace. So give yourself some grace. If you became entirely Christlike on the race, God would have nothing left to teach you, and that will never be the case. So take a breath and thank God for His grace. And then give yourself a slice.
