Right now God is teaching me to rely completely on Him. Rely is a word I have truly never enjoyed and is rarely used in my vocabulary. I much prefer the word independent. However we are not called to be independent we are called to be DEPENDENT on God. It all started when my phone stopped working my first week on the field. We went to the river and the world’s largest hot springs for adventure day. After the day was done, I went to charge it that night at our new friend Maricio’s house. My phone never charged or turned on and since that day I don’t have a cell phone. Not having a working cell phone means losing all photographs on my phone that haven’t been backed up by google photos, it means losing all contacts in my phone because I only have my moms number memorized, it means not having any of the pictures we took at the river that day, it means not having a phone to take pictures or write blogs with, it means not having anything to listen to music on. I didn’t bring a laptop, iPod, iPad, or kindle, because I could use my phone as all of those, not knowing that mine would be ruined week one of the race. I even brought a polaroid camera at launch so I literally have nothing digital.
I was reliant on my phone to stay connected to my friends and family back home, not to God. The night before we went in the river I was begging God to take away and remove all temptations that would detract from my World Race journey. And the next day my phone died. As my squadmate and current roommate, Tiffany, who used to work at Apple would say, “I’m certain Apple care doesn’t cover spiritual protections.” And so that is where it all began.
God wants me (and you) to rely on Him.
Rely on Him to provide the funds to continue the Race.
Rely on the Creator of the Universe to guide the steps I take in my day to day life.
Rely on Him to give me all that I need.
Rely on His love.
Rely on His comfort, His protection, and His joy.
Rely on Him to take away my fears.
Rely on Him to protect my family back home.
Rely on Him to keep me healthy.
Rely on Him emotionally and spiritually because He is the caretaker of my soul.
Leaving all the comforts of home and my family takes all my reliance. It took not being able to contact my family and friends back home to finally realize it. I was relying on my phone to get me through the next 9 months of being away. Instead, I must let Him be my Rock, my shield, and my protector. Not having a phone has been a learning process. If I want to take pictures, talk to someone, or write a blog, I have to rely on the wonderful community I am around to make that possible. In and through this God is teaching me it is okay to ask for help. It is okay to let others help you. He is teaching me to let go of my prideful ways. As C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, “Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” In and through this God is teaching my team that you can live life without a phone and survive (even thrive). It is also teaching others to be more selfless and allow them to share their stuff. It is also teaching me to embrace the silence. It takes away my ability to pull out my phone and distract myself when a conversation ends. You just have to muddle through it.
All in all: Let God be your everything. Try turning off your phone for 18 days. It’ll change your life.
