So we’re in the middle of an all-squad month.
All 34 of us are staying in one place.
And every Sunday night we have a squad worship and teaching session.
Last week, my team nominated me to speak.
[Scary]
And what a surprise I had when a group of missionary interns from all over South America came to join and listen, too.
But I did it without passing out, and wanted to share with the Internet world all of the things I shared with the group.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on the World Race is about intimacy with God.
[What? That sounds weird.]
Yeah, I know. I started this year not really understanding what that meant.
Being intimate.
Hearing from God.
Having a relationship with the Lord that was living and breathing and changing and challenging.
I understood God to be kind of far away, and could never figure out how to break down the wall that kept him in “God-world” and me in “Shannon-world.”
But I saw people who had figured it out, and I knew I wanted it.
I knew that in order to Race well, in order to love my team and my squad well, I had to know how to love and be loved by Jesus first.
How to be intimate with God.
So that was goal number one this year.
I asked Jesus about this a lot.
What does it mean?
How do I do it?
Why don’t I get it yet?
And he had a series of lessons for me.
I learned the first one back in Month One.
In January.
In Maputo, Mozambique.
I learned that intimacy with God is a choice, and I have to work to choose it every day.
A husband can’t wake up one morning and decide not to talk to his wife for three days.
It wouldn’t work.
It’s the same for God and us.
You have to find a time and setting that works for you, and stick to it.
On the Race, I wake up around 5:30am, find a comfy spot, and talk to Jesus.
[The introvert in me loves this because no one else is awake yet…sometimes for hours.]
At home, it’s sitting on the cliffs after a beach run.
Wherever it is for you, commit to it daily.
The second lesson I learned this year about being intimate with the Father is that it looks different for everyone.
So get all of that comparison bologna out of here.
If there was a formula for our relationship with God and everyone’s was the same, it wouldn’t be intimate.
My relationship with my best friend is special because there isn’t another like it.
It’s the same for you and God.
Let your relationship be unique.
The third lesson He’s taught me is to BE FREE.
God doesn’t want to be an obligation.
He wants to be your joy.
I had to first figure out what brings me joy in life.
In the day to day.
And I know I really love to read, so I started there.
God puts our loves and passions in us because he wants to use them to draw us into him.
So I picked up my Bible, asked God to help me understand, and I read.
And I kept reading, because it’s what I love to do.
And you know what?
[He showed up.]
He loved me through something I loved.
He wanted me to enjoy time with him.
So if you love talking or singing or working out or being in nature, START THERE.
Find God in the things that bring you joy.
They make you smile for a reason, and God wants to be there for that.
Lesson four: Don’t be boring. God’s not.
I’ve learned that it’s important to switch up my routine.
It’s really fun to explore all aspects of who God is.
Doing the same thing all the time can get boring and stagnant.
[And that’s not what God is like.]
So change things around.
We can learn to love being in relationship with God and experience who he is through things like: reading, creating, singing, dancing, hiking, praying, journaling
[just to name a few]
I like to talk about God.
I find that I love him even more when I can tell people how great he is.
I also like to imagine what he would be doing if I could physically see him.
The other morning, he was sitting on beanbag chair in his pajamas with me.
[weird…maybe…but I like it]
If he prompts you to do or say something that might feel a little strange, do it anyway.
Obedience to God, even when he’s weird, always turns out really awesome.
The fifth lesson I’ve learned about intimacy this year is to always be challenging myself.
Pick new disciplines to explore.
I really like to read.
I really like to read the Bible.
I really like to read both fiction and nonfiction books about God.
I really like to read all of the things.
But for a long time I didn’t really like to pray.
It felt like an obligation, and I never felt like I was good at it.
But I was challenged by a squad leader to ask God to help me like it.
Like I ask him to help me understand when I read the Bible.
It made sense, so I asked him.
[two months later]
And all of a sudden, prayer became fruitful.
It became a joy, and a really sweet way to experience Jesus.
Once you get comfrotable spending time with the Lord, find new ways of relating to him that maybe you don’t enjoy or don’t think you’re good at.
Then just ask God to give you a love for those things…or at least a joy and appreciation for them.
You can’t grow without challenge and change and sometimes difficulty.
But you can’t stay in one place forever either.
Learning what it means to have an intimate relationship with Jesus has absolutely changed my life and has defined my race.
The more I find myself in God’s presence, the more joy, peace, love, and gratitude I have.
The more desire I have to constantly be with him.
I have more grace, confidence, and freedom when I know how much he loves me, and that can only come from seeking intimacy with him.
Only when we know how deeply loved we are can we stand on solid feet and confidently proclaim that we are known, cherished, and free!
