The air was warm and fresh as it whipped my hair back. I could faintly taste the saltiness of the beach and a smile as big as the ocean stretched across my face. I was riding on the back of Rony’s motorbike as she drove me home after a night zipping around Da Nang and only one word came to my mind,
freedom.
On my right we sped past brightly lit buildings, towering into the sky. On my left, I could just make out the ocean waves breaking on the shoreline from the starlight. If I’m being honest, I wanted to scream. I wanted to raise my hands high above my head and shout for joy as my flanneled shirt billowed behind my back.
I felt alive. I felt like I could tangibly feel the fullness of God inside of me.
In that moment I realized it was fleeting. I would never be in that exact space ever again. That perfect moment of feeling ultimate freedom was gone almost as quickly as it washed over me. I hated that. I wondered to myself how many other ‘perfect’ moments I had let pass me by without taking a moment to actually sit in its goodness. I felt angry at myself for being so passive, so distracted.
God created that moment on Rony’s motorbike specifically for me. He was laughing with me as I cheered into the night air. Then it hit me, God literally created every moment for me. God works this life for my benefit. He is never against me. Bad things may happen, but God uses them perfectly to help me and lead me to a better life.
Think about that.. if that’s really true, if God is really working all things for my good, (Rm. 8:28) then ultimately every moment is good.
I had a revelation that I never want to miss a moment because of distractions or circumstances. I never want to get stuck in a hard place and think that God is against me. Instead I want to take a moment to see how God could be orchestrating something better in the long-run. God is a “big picture” God. He is so vastly infinite, but equally intimate. He cares about the small moments too, and intentionally plans them specifically for me. Because He loves me. That is just so amazing!!!
The World Race isn’t an easy thing.. shocker! I have moments when I want to be passive, when I want to be distracted. Because that’s easy! I want to tune out and have a moment where I can just be. But honestly, reality has hit me hard this week. I don’t want to be passive and let somebody else take more of the load, because it’s not a load.. it’s not a burden. It’s a blessing! This season on the Race will ultimately be one fleeting moment. It’s not forever. It’s not even that long! It’s almost halfway over, and I don’t want any more moments to pass me by while I sit around being passive. No more!
Each moment may not be on the back of Rony’s motorbike, but it could still feel like a motorbike moment! I want to intentionally seek God in every moment, good or bad, and see how His goodness radiates through it all. I’m so thankful for this journey that He has created just for me. He loves me so much. And guess what? He loves you, too! Look for the motorbike moments in your life, big or small, and look for God. Look for how He is intentionally and intimately placing goodness around you, just for you, because He loves you!
Our God really is incredible.
