One of the biggest things for me on the Race has been learning how to walk in love. I thought I knew what walking in love looked like before the Race, but hot dang, when you’re put on a team with people of all different ages, backgrounds, hometowns, theology, interests, you learn how to love in a COMPLETELY new way….
For about 2 weeks now, the words “love overflow” have been impressed on my heart and I have been desperately wondering when The Lord will teach me how to love those around me. Little did I know that He has been changing my heart without me even realizing!!!
These past three months, I’ve been challenged to constantly ask The Lord to show me his love and how He views his people. Time after time, the Father reminds me that every single person on this earth is worthy to be loved, and He wants every single person to know him personally!!
Jesus, always in tune with the Father, was constantly stepping out to show love to the people around Him. And what’s even crazier is that the stories in the Bible are only 0.000001% of the things that Jesus did all the other days of his life.
Now there were also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. [John 21:25]
I imagine Jesus stepping out and loving in those mundane moments that aren’t even mentioned in the Bible. He walked through life for 30 years before his official ministry even began! I imagine him cooking meals for his mom, playing with kids on the street, going on long walks with friends, building things for the local community, using every moment as an opportunity to deeply love.
Here are some ways that I’ve tangibly seen love manifest itself through the people around me on the Race:
- Smiling and waving at a random person on the street and seeing their face light up with joy!!
- Chatting with a woman at the bar so she can feel seen and loved
- Playing with children for an hour so that their parents get to work in peace
- Pushing a man in a wheelchair when you see him struggling —> literally witnessed this today with my Thai friend Thom
- Walking with your teammate to the store even when you don’t want to buy anything (thanks, @Diana)
- A teammate randomly striking up a deep convo with me because she knows I love it (u da bomb @ash)
- Tidying up your teammates’ clothes and living space (@Diane every single day)
- Picking the hair out of the shower drain every day (@Diane again)
- Taking out the trash when you see the garbage full (of nasty toilet paper) (probably @Diane here too)
- Cuddling with your teammate because you know it’s their love language (way to go @Steph)
- A teammate listening patiently to you while you externally process (thx @all my teammates)
So…what does love look like?
Love looks like choosing to see people through God’s eyes rather than seeing their brokenness and faults.
Because when God looks at us, he sees a person worthy to be loved!
Love looks like pressing into the people around you even when they’re getting on you’re nerves and all you want to do is be alone.
I would argue that the hard moments—when all you want to do is be alone and tune out and ignore your team—are the moments that are most rewarding when you press in! To be honest, the first few days in Thailand were hard for me. I was getting bitter at my teammates for no reason and was really missing my community back home. It was easy for me to use spending time with the Lord as an excuse to get away from my teammates. But actually, I was just brushing my emotions under the rug. When I actually pressed into my emotions and asked The Lord what was up, he flooded me with grace and love and gently broke down the walls in my heart!
When we press into the hard, the dirty, the mundane, we learn how to love in a totally new way! When I was back at home, I knew my triggers and I was able to retreat when I wasn’t having the best day. But you can’t do that on the race. There’s no escape when you’re living 24/7 with 6 other girls.
When I actually took the time to get to know and love my teammates, I realized that they’re ALL amazing women of God! Sure, we’re all different in many ways, but even more, we all come together and build each other up in different ways, more and more towards Jesus! It’s truly a unique and amazing experience.
Spending quality time with people breaks down SO MANY WALLS! This week, me and two of my teammates got to spend 24 hours just us three and we seriously grew so much closer! They’re two of my favorite people now! Bitterness and little annoyances wash away when you get to know the hearts of the people around you. The enemy wants to put walls up between you and the people around you, but Jesus wants to break down walls with His love!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. [John 10:10]
So, if you’re struggling with being annoyed by someone around you, I would challenge you to do three things:
- Ask God how He sees that person.
- Hang out with that person.
- Find a way to intentionally love that person
The Holy Spirit gives us the full capacity to live a life abiding in the Father’s love every step of the way. I promise you, when you choose to walk in love, your day WILL be more fruitful and abundant!
I pray that love will overflow in the lives of everyone reading this blog. In Jesus’ name amen!!!
