This blog Post today is going to be alittle different… I have a guest! I asked my father to write about his feelings about me going on this crazy adventure up ahead. My parents have been supporting me since day one of this journey and I think this blog will give a cool perspective to this journey. 🙂
The following is what he wrote:
“Dad, what do you think about me going on the World Race Gap Year?”
I can tell you with certainty; that seemingly simple question has a not so simple answer.
It started several years ago when Courtney and her brother signed up for a short term youth group mission trip to the Dominican Republic. You should know that, as parents, Cindy and I were always intentional about raising our kids in and around the church. Our goal has been to follow Proverbs 6:22 (NIV), to “start the children off in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not depart from it.” Little did we know at the time how much doing so would require greater and greater amounts of faith with each new phase of life.
For Courtney, that first trip to the DR turned into three trips before she finished high school. By that time, her heart was set on missions and she could not imagine sitting in a classroom for another year. She simply wanted to get out and serve our God by helping others in need. One evening, we were approached with this bold idea of the WR Gap Year. To her credit, Courtney had done her homework and organized her thoughts. She defended the idea well and explained how much it would be a beneficial thing for her and her future. Cindy and I listened intently and heard her out. Then, to her surprise, we both told her it was a great idea.
For us the idea is simple, if she really wants to be a missionary a 10 day trip doesn’t give anyone the true picture of living the life day in and day out. In that short amount of time you never really get past the point of being the visitor…the newness never wears off. It’s clear that by the end of this trip, Courtney will either love missions work or she’ll know it’s not for her. That level of understanding is something that’s needed to pursue any type of ministry. You just can’t do it as if it were a job. It has to be in your heart.
Watching Courtney go through each stage of preparation and fundraising for this trip it has become increasingly clear that this is a God thing. Now, just a little over two weeks before she leaves home to follow God’s lead, the parent side of me is forced to place an ever increasing amount of trust in the God we serve. A task that is much easier said than done.
“Start the children off in the in the way they should go…” That’s the easier part of the verse for parents. Teach them about God, show them what a Godly marriage looks like, let them see you study the word and maintain your own personal relationship, get involved in a Bible based church. Okay, that’s not “easy”, but with effort it is something we can control.
The second half of the verse is where the difficult part of parenting comes in; “…and even when they are old they will not depart from it.” That’s hard because at some point we have to acknowledge and live out the fact that God is in control of their lives and He is the one they SHOULD be following, not us. They, our kids, have to step out from under our faith umbrella and OWN everything about their spiritual lives. The hard part for parents, especially involved parents, is to let them.
So, what do I think about Courtney going on the WR Gap Year?
I love it! I’m thrilled that she will build bonds with other believers, have experiences serving our God in a variety of cultures, and further solidify her beliefs through this life-changing experience. Have no doubt, my prayer life will be stronger than ever…but that’s ultimately a good thing. I look forward following her trip and seeing God work in and through the wonderful young lady God has blessed us with over the last 18 years.
Also, with her older brother already serving overseas in the military, Cindy and I will suddenly find ourselves with a lot more time to spend together. Given the circumstances, I’m sure we’ll spend a lot of that time together in prayer…another God thing.
Scott Jackson
Yay. That was fun! I am going to have my mom do something similar and we can make this a blog series! How fun would that be? I may have her answer the same question or I may have her answer a different one… the world may never know! 🙂
Subscribe to my blog to get updates as I am preparing to leave in 2 WEEKS!! And to get updates while I am on the field! 🙂
i also have a YouTube channel that I will be using also soooooo you should subscribe to that also!! https://www.youtube.com/user/cupcakecrj
I love you all 🙂 have a nice day and thank you for supporting me in this journey 🙂
