What’s up everyone!! I am well overdue for a blog so here ya go! As I was thinking about what has been going on in my life recently this story came to mind…
Matthew 14:26-33 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
What an awesome story right?! I see myself being a lot like Peter, being quick to get out of the boat and “walk on water” to go to Jesus. But as soon as I get out of my comfort zone (the boat) my eyes very easily begin to look away from Jesus and I see the wind and the storms in my life swirling around me. I start to sink and lose sight of where my true strength and faith comes from. I try to do it alone, relying on my own strength to get to Him. I let other things take priority in my life instead of making my relationship with Him my #1 priority. I so easily forget how faithful He has ALWAYS been in my life and how He has never let me sink. In the times when I am afraid and feel like I am sinking are when I truly realize that I cannot do this life on my own. He is the only one who can sustain me and calm the storms that are in my life.
It is a great reminder for me to hear, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” It is all just a matter of letting go of my insecurities, handing them over to Him, and looking up to Him for help and strength. Humility is key and something I am working on.
Over the past few weeks I felt like I was sinking. I felt exhausted and overwhelmed, work was getting stressful and tough, and I was wondering how I was going pull everything together before I leave in August. How am going to raise $18,617? I am so far away and never going to make it. I had lost sight of Him being my provider and tried to take matters into my own hands, which absolutely made everything worse. In the midst of the storm I began to see that my priorities had gotten mixed up—I wasn’t putting Him first, trusting Him, or looking to Him for my strength. The past two weeks I have been crying out to Jesus saying, “Lord, save me because I can’t do this on my own and need you.” After much prayer He has reached out to me to me and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt? I’m not going to let you sink. I got this, remember?” It has been so sweet to see how He has been at work. He continues to be faithful and shows up in ways that I never would have thought. For example, one of the middle school students that I help out with at church heard about my trip and how I was raising support for the race. He wanted to meet with me and hear about what I was doing and be on my support team. A middle schooler wanting to support me? How awesome is that?!? Knowing that if a middle schooler wants to be on my team, think of the other people that would want to as well! That was more encouraging than you could imagine. Talk about God being at work and having a plan!
He has been incredibly faithful and provided the funds for my first deadline of $5,000! Next goal is $10,000! I have no idea where this money is going to be coming from, but I know that God has a plan and that He is going to show up and continue to provide!
God is certainly calling me to The World Race but it is not a solo mission nor is it something I can do alone. This is a team effort and I need your help. I am stepping out of the boat, doing my best of keeping my eyes focused on Jesus, and trusting that He will be faithful and provide like He always has in my life. Would you be willing to step out of the boat with me and join my support team either in prayer or financially?
If you have any questions or would like to know more about this journey and mission please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! If you would like to donate there is a little orange button up at the top of my blog that says, “Donate.”
He will not let you sink, but you must cry out and keep your eyes focused on Him! The way that I have found it most helpful to keep my eyes focused on Him is to make it a priority to spend intimate, quality time with Him daily and to invite Jesus into everything you do throughout your day—whether it’s working, cooking dinner, driving in your car, and even brushing your teeth. A relationship can only grow and get stronger by spending time with someone, so take the time to spend it with Him. Doing this can be a lot easier said than done, but trust me it is worth it. One of my mentors once told me, “I can’t – He can- He will!”
Thank you for reading and also a huge thank you to all who have helped me along the way thus far! Be sure to subscribe to my blog to continue to follow me in my journey!
In Him,
Preston
Prayer Requests:
-That my eyes would be focused on Him and that He would be the utmost affection of my heart.
-For my teammates and I to all seek Christ intimately and grow in our relationships with Him and one another.
-That God would stir in people’s hearts to want to be on this mission with me and to give freely, so I can reach my next goal of $10,000.
-For the countries that we will be traveling to and the people we will be interacting with
(Spain, Morocco, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and China, and also possibly Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan).
