I am in month seven of my World Race. At this point in the journey many racers find themselves questioning everything; we question our purpose on the journey, the purpose for our lives, why we did the Race, why we chose to leave America for a year, and so many others things. Now we are a little over halfway through and we begin to tire. We begin to dislike the taste of rice. We begin to take lots of naps and watch lots of movies. When I say “we” I am mainly talking about myself. In Vietnam, month five, I began to dislike the World Race. I remember telling my team that I had reached the point of exhaustion- the point of discontentment with our everyday lives. I didn’t enjoy the people I was around or the ministry I was doing. World Race staff would call this the “B zone.” The B zone is the area when the WOW begins to wear off. The excitement of what we call the A zone has deteriorated and exhaustion has kicked in. You lose energy, and a bad taste is put in your mouth. You question if you’re making a difference and why your presence is important. You’re burned out.
But there is this awesome place in the B zone where you have the choice to press through and choose joy. You have the opportunity to allow your community and God into your struggles and not allow them to consume you. If you choose this you can push through to the C zone. If you do not, you remain in the B zone which becomes the “pit of despair” and can eventually lead to the “Q zone,” or quitting zone.
Bill Swan, a great mentor and Director of the Race says, “Keep persevering. Remember, the B zone is a gift to take you to the next level in your faith and relationship with Him. Ask Him for wisdom on how to walk it out well, and He’ll be faithful to hook you up!”
When I reached the B zone and spoke up to my team and allowed God to speak into those moments it transformed my heart. The Lord reminded me of why I chose the World Race. He reminded me that He is the WOW and He never wears off.
I’m not going to lie and say that in one day I was back in love with the Race. It has been a long process of growth and choosing growth.
This morning a large piece of the puzzle clicked back into place. Myself, Kamiren, Brad, and Cristin were in a classroom teaching about Jesus. Cristin was giving the message and rocking it. She reached the part of the story of Jesus where you choose to allow Him in and choose a relationship with Him. She then said, “That was the best decision I have ever made.” I don’t know what clicked, but in that moment the Holy Spirit spoke in a mighty way to me- I began to cry. In that moment I realized that I had allowed the WOW of Jesus to wear off. I had allowed the simple yet complexly beautiful story of Jesus and His sacrifice become numb to me. I had lost the awe and wonder. Jesus is the WOW and He never wears off. I realized today that you have to fight for that. You have to fight to remain in awe and wonder of God’s goodness. You have to choose to see His goodness and grandness in ALL things, regardless of how big or small they may be.
So I want to challenge all of you. Are you in complete awe and wonder of God? Have you chosen to see His goodness in the ordinary? Have you chosen to remain seeking Him and asking for more of Him? Are you content with Him and Him alone? Is He enough? Is the simplicity of the cross enough?
The answer is YES. He is enough. His cross is WAY more than enough. His sacrifice will always be enough.
On a side note, we have had some slight changes to our teams within Wonder Church. My new team is comprised of Jack ( team leader), Kamiren, Lindsay, Andy, Madi, and myself. We named ourselves Team Stay Salty. Our name is based off of Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made Salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” We named ourselves this so that we can remember to stay salty. So that we can remember to remain in God and choose joy, surrender, and obedience.
Thank you all for reading! Love you all so much! Thank you for your continued support and prayers!
Love,
Gabbie
