Month 7 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is needless to say, one of the hardest months on the Race thus far.
Who created the “7th month slump” terminology anyway? I’m not even sure if this is what I had experienced. There was apathy on my team, yes, but what was the cause for all this “I’m ready to go home now” attitude??
I definitely connect to the whole “strength for the day” meditation within the day. My daily bread from the Holy book has been pulling my feet forward at just the right speed.
>Shout out to my dad who spurred me on toward meditating on a simple truth of God each morning.
>Shout out to my girl Alexis, a Worldrace alumni, who affirmed I am not the only one on the Race who endures this hardship on the Race one tender step at a time.
I have been reading “Love Does” by Bob Goff this month. He explains what you can expect to find off a beaten path: Adventure, and good company. “I’ll know more about my character, and I’ll know more about Jesus,” he says. “I’ll meet a lot of cool people.”
When I chose to do this crazy thing called the World Race I expected the unexpected. I knew it would be the most challenging, but the most rewarding thing. I wanted to do the thing. I’m doing it now.
I’m learning more about my character. Some days I’ll see Jesus in a new light. And I have definitely been meeting a lot of cool people. But duuuuuude. It’s hard for me.
It’s hard to love in community. It’s hard to be joyful in ministry when you’re worn out. It’s hard to be on the go go go when you have ick festering in your heart.
Goff crafted these words perfectly: “the Bible said the only weapon any of us really has is love. But it’s love like a sword without a handle and because of that, sometimes we’ll get cut when we pick it up.” Is it worth it to keep picking up the love sword even when you’ll get sliced in the hand? It’s tiring but yeah, I’d say it’s worth it.
Living in Cambodia was all worth it to me. There may have been more sucky days than good but in the end I know I chose to love despite the affliction.
I chose to love the little kiddos with the strength God gave me. I chose to be inefficient with my love. I would have rather cried in a room by myself or called my mom than to have spent hours twirling a jump rope for dozens of rowdy little ones. But it took a small sacrifice.
Another thing Goff man says is “being secretly incredible goes against the trend that says to do anything incredible you have to buy furniture and a laptop, start an organization, have a mission statement, and labor endlessly over a statement of faith. Secretly incredible people just do things.”
Wherever I am in the world, living in America, being homesick in Cambodia, or wherever… I want to always choose to secretly be incredible. I want to choose the sword with no handle. I want to love inefficiently for the rest of my life. I want to just do things.
For Him.
Only Him.
He will see the small gesture of love toward a teammate. He’ll see my decision to keep moving forward in trust.
Will you choose the same?
I want to urge the world to read this article on Bob Goff. It’s a challenge for you to live an incredible life. Try it with me!
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/10-ways-live-extraordinary-life
