This is a little long but read ’til the end. It’s really good, I promise.
Last Saturday I woke up to the crisp Kathmandu air rolling through my bedroom window. I was refreshed and extra comfy in my sleeping bag and blanket. While trying to decide if I should go back to sleep or not on this beautiful Sabbath morning, I heard the chipper conversations of some squad mates in the next room. Someone asked their teammate how to spell a word and they replied with a logical, yet incorrect spelling. Hooray for the English language! On the way to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I gave the proper spelling, then went down to have breakfast with my team. That’s when my thought process for the day started spiraling downward. It wasn’t about anything in particular. My mind just started swirling with frustration about happenings that were 100% out of my control, and in the grand scheme, don’t matter one bit.
Just to add a delicious cherry to the whipped cream of my frustration, I began constructing a pot of Chai, and after I measured out the milk, I realized I hadn’t placed the full glass far enough back on top of the fridge. When I opened the door, the glass hurdled down like a slow motion comet and exploded like a plump water balloon all over my feet and the kitchen floor. Much to my delight, there were no paper towels and the only utensil I could find to clean it up was a dirty towel, which I discovered behind the stove.
By the time we were ready to leave, I was so tired and frustrated I almost went back to sleep. The only reason I didn’t go back to bed was the fact that I was scheduled to share my testimony at church that day, and a fleeting thought in the back of my head saying, “The reason I’m pissy right now doesn’t even make sense. I’ll bet the reason all this is happening is because it’s going to be an awesome day.” And oh man, was I right.
I shared my testimony and ended with the main points, “if you have bitterness towards someone, forgive them. If you have bitterness towards yourself, forgive yourself. If God tells you to do something crazy, DO IT.” The service went on and my teammate Zack delivered an awesome message about prayer based out of Daniel 10. After the service, we had coffee that looked a lot like tea, then our friend Bipin, who is the associate pastor of that church, invited us over to his house for lunch. By far, this was the best Nepali food I think I will ever eat. I would have sold my birth right for the stew, the potatoes were perfect, and the “pickle,” which is basically their version of salsa, was perfectly spiced. However, the best part of the meal wasn’t even the physical food. It was the spiritual meat which Bipin so eloquently barbecued and served during after dinner tea.
For the sake of space, I will drop a few of Bipin’s wisdom bombs and only expound on a few.
“Friends are a gift from God”
“We are not poor, we are God’s children. It doesn’t mean we will live lavishly but we will always be provided for.”
“You don’t have to cry out for a blessing if you’re in God’s plan. God’s plan is already blessed.”
“When God has called us to do something he has already lined up the resources. Trust in the Lord and wait.”
Not only does Bipin roll his R’s in an extremely impressive manner, but, as you can see, he is also a man of extreme faith. I dream to have the level of trust in my heavenly father and be as Holy Spirit driven as he is. He told us story after story of God providing for him, his family, and for his ministry. He emphasized giving and listening to the Lord in that area. He said one time God told him to give a small amount to a multi millionaire in the US and even though it didn’t make sense, he still did it. His reasoning behind it was, ”What God tells us to do is His business.” When he said he doesn’t know how he is going to pay for his house, which he blesses so many people with, he said, “The Lord brought me here, so that’s His business.” If his level of trust that God is going to provide doesn’t fire you up, I don’t know what will! My team and I found this especially encouraging since we each have a few thousand dollars to raise before our looming end of the month deadline.
Another word Bipin shared hit me even deeper than that. He referenced when the woman broke the alabaster jar and poured the fragrance on Jesus’ feet. Not only was the jar worth a crazy amount of money, but she washed his feet with her tears and her hair. At this time, a woman’s hair represented her glory (1 Cor 11:15). The first time she would let her hair down in front of a man was for her husband after the wedding ceremony, as her long hair represented her purity and everything she had, her complete devotion.
Bipin’s word to me and several other racers was, “Break your alabaster jar and let the Lord give you a new one.”
This includes my past, my present decisions, and my plans for the future. I thought I had already dedicated my future to the Lord however, one thing I’ve been wrestling with recently is giving him my past.
I expressed this struggle to Bipin and he said in a matter of fact tone and a little hand flip, “Oh, don’t worry about that, your past has already been paid for.” He then grabbed his empty, clear plastic tea cup and poured a little bit of tea in it. He placed it under the faucet and proceeded to turn the water on. As water filled the glass, the tea became diluted and eventually began to overflow into the sink. After a few seconds it was so thin you couldn’t tell there was ever tea in it. He said, “We can do a lab test right now and you would find some of the tea in there but, if I left it here for an hour there wouldn’t be a trace left.” It’s the same way with my past. It has already been paid for, however, the Bible tells us we have to renew our minds (Rom 12:2). The way we do that is by reading God’s Word and prayer. If we don’t replace those old, dirty thoughts with new Godly ones, we will never be able to let go of our past.
If we can’t surrender our past to God, it affects our present decisions. If our present decisions aren’t surrendered to God, neither is our future. Are we willing to shatter our past, surrender our present, and consecrate our future at the feet of Jesus?
Believe it or not, I didn’t even want to go on the World Race. I wrestled with God about the decision from the time he impressed it on me until the very moment he broke me down and took away every other option I was chasing. However, after being here, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. The community of amazing people I have around me will push me toward God, tell me the hard things about myself, and pick me up when I don’t feel like continuing on this crazy adventure the Lord has called me to. I desperately needed that and it happened at just the right time.
So, my friends, I will leave you with a challenge. Just like the woman in this story, we are called to break our alabaster jar and place it at the feet of Jesus. So I ask, what is your alabaster jar? What are you holding on to? Is it your past? A decision you are currently walking in? A job or relationship that you know God has called you out of? Are your future plans from God, or do they stem from your own desires? Even if they are not necessarily evil, or going against God, does God have a better plan for your life?
Are you willing to break your alabaster jar at the feet of Jesus and let him give you a new one? I guarantee His plan is so much better than anything you could dream up on your own.
