I’m not the greatest writer; in fact, I had a C in my AP English 4 class this semester. So, what I’m trying to say is that I’m not a very sophisticated writer so don’t expect super fancy SAT words that I usually use in essays to try to make myself sound smarter than I actually am. But nevertheless, I do journal. Most of the time, writing my thoughts down is the only way for me to figure out what I’m feeling. So, my goals for these blogs are to achieve the raw truth about what is going on in my life and in my walk with Jesus.
I just spent about 4 hours looking on amazon and other websites for the necessary purchases I’ll eventually need to make for my backpack, tent and all that good stuff. I even spent 2 hours at REI learning about the different types of backpacks and figuring out the right size and the different materials that make up different backpacks. It was awesome! I got so excited, ready to take on this trip that I still have 9 months to prepare for. But, I think I realized the difficulty of this trip when the worker at REI put weights in the backpacks. He lifted the bag up on my shoulders and as soon as he let go of the backpack I slightly fell backward from the weight. When I got stable, he had me walk around the store for a while to get the feel. Walking for 15 minutes, on flat ground, with 50 pounds (half my weight) on my back was a lot harder for me than I had anticipated it to be. I learned quickly that I couldn’t make sudden movements or I would start to topple to the side, which I kept getting laughed at for. I had not expected this at all. I was just excited and ready to travel the world sharing God’s word. I didn’t think about the obstacles I would have to face.
The race is going to be hard; it’s not only going to be physically straining but also mentally straining. I am going to have to let go of myself and depend on Him for strength. I try to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders and when I do, I know it won’t work because I start to topple over. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God gives us challenges in His master plan. Some may seem bigger or smaller than others. Sometimes I try to face those challenges on my own but God has continually revealed to me that I NEED Him. I need God to pull me towards Him when I turn astray and I need God to keep saying my name when I turn my ear the other way. Hey that rhymed! I kept reading that sentence over and over again because it sounded really familiar but I realized it’s Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
He is my strength!
