“Feliz Navidad!”
I hear the song ringing through the air for the umpteenth time, serving as a reminder that Christmas is here. It’s wild to think that only a few short months have passed since leaving America. In that time so much has happened. From blowing up Cambodian trash with gasoline to getting lost in a Honduran jungle, I have had a whale of a time. As I look forward to this Christmas season, I feel like its only fair to update you guys on some of the things I have learned so far.
So here it goes:
1. A Life Worthy of Mention.
Back when I was in college – which feels like forever ago – our young adult’s pastor gave a talk on “living a life worthy of mention.” While in my seat I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “this talk isn’t for me.” Still, I took notes, I don’t really know why maybe because of habit. Nevertheless, I wrote down what he said. Sometimes a talk isn’t for you and that’s okay. Other times I think God uses other people to tell you something that later you can remember and take a moment to pause, rewind, and press play. In this life sometimes those are the most impacting memories you can receive. As I look back on what has happened so far, I am reminded time and time again about living a life worthy of mention.
People question themselves. It’s a part of who we are.
“Have I done enough yet?”
“Why do I feel ashamed?”
For many, these questions ring like an alarm just out of reach so it just keeps ringing. They serve as a reminder that we live in a world that is shipwrecked on the idea of earning your worth. Which is why I knew and now still know the comparisons our pastor drew out about the matter.
The Don Draper
– You’re the alpha.
The Lebron
– You’re just better.
The Steve Jobs
-Achievement and results.
All of these reasons cause bitterness and rivalry. Which is why the Lord uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We see this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Mark 10:43-44, and Colossians 4:7-18. Out of these, Colossians 4:7-18 is my personal favorite because it reminds us that what you usually skip is just as inspired by God as passages we often deem “better.” The verses themselves serve as a final greeting to members of the church at Colossae. Paul thanks ordinary people – not superheroes – whose lives are marked by deep friendship and faithful service, which I think is beautiful. God doesn’t expect us to be the alpha, or the best, or achieve everything, he asks us to be faithful and pursue others faithfully.
2. Relational Leadership.
At the Camp I worked at this summer we start every day with Tribal Competition. As a counselor you get to spend your time doing one of two roles during this hour and a half. First and more commonly you will be coaching a team of kids from your respective tribe, Caddo or Osage. Second, you get to lead your tribe and be the Chief. The Chief leads the whole tribe, gives pump-up speeches with his shirt off, and runs between the teams – called War Parties at Camp Ozark– checking on them and helping out the coaches. The Coach stays with his or her team, leading the kids by being in the trenches with them. Every week I coached. Which is how I knew and now still know: I lead others through relationships. I am not a gung-ho, rip-my-shirt-off and pump you up kind of leader. Honestly, that’s okay.
Being a guy on the race, often you find yourself outnumbered. Still, as guys, we’ve been asked to lead and been told we need to do it well. This is how I know not every guy is a leader. I don’t say this to belittle anyone, but saying “I am a man,” does not automatically give you authority. Honestly, God often uses women to spur change in men. Still, God blesses us as men with the ability to become leaders, but we must be willing to accept the responsibility given. As men we grow up hearing chauvinistic statements of how we need to lead women. Truth is women and men need each other, but we need people more. What I mean is that people don’t need division, people need to stick together, love each other, and lead one another through those relationships. Most of the significant changes in my life directly correlated with deep friendship. Which is how I know, as a man, often you have to stable your high horse and pursue others in love to lead the way Christ did.
3. The World Race is not the finish line.
“On the race….”
In the last four months, I have heard and read this statement so many times it almost sounds like background music to a track stuck on repeat. Following is always a story about some exotic foreign country with some powerful or funny ending, and it reminds me of just how great of an opportunity I have been given this year. The Race is a wonderful opportunity, but it’s not the end all be all of our life as believers.
I spent a small part of last summer in Gainesville, Georgia at Training Camp readying myself for the race. This year I am spending a small part of the rest of my life doing mission work through the World Race. A small part of the rest of my life. That’s what it is, and it isn’t meant to demean its importance, but the race shouldn’t be put on a pedestal. Just like training prepared me for now, the race is a training camp preparing me for the life ahead. The goal of your race shouldn’t be to change the world, it should focus on being transformed into the man or woman of God the Lord has planned for you to become. You learn a lot about being a person when you live with forty other humans. You learn street smarts when thrown into Cambodian traffic. You learn to receive wisdom from those around you, whether its: a peer, an old Cambodian man, or a young missionary couple from Texas. Though I know I have never been called to full-time ministry, I know that God will use all the lessons I have learned and will learn to affect my future back in America.
Side note:
Thank you to all my supporters for making all this possible, and you guys are making a huge difference in my life and those I have been blessed to effect on this trip. To be very real with you all, I am still not fully funded and the deadline is fast approaching. I still need $2,960 to stay on the World Race. If any of you feel called or are able to give, you can click “Donate!” on my blog home page
