Hello from Guat!
It’s hard to accept that I’ll only be able to say that a few more times…
We are just reaching the end of month two, and I can’t believe how quickly our time in Guatemala has gone. We’re already almost 1/3 of the way through our Race! And our next three months will also go by quickly because we have a route change! Instead of going to Thailand for two months and Malaysia for one, we will be in Thailand for a month, and then Myanmar for a month, and then back to Thailand for a month before our final three in Swaziland. Our squad is so excited for Myanmar because its boarders have only been open to the public for a few years. We can’t wait to work with a culture as untouched as Myanmar’s.
This week I was trying to think of something to write about for this post, and since being on the field I haven’t struggled with finding things to write about, but I didn’t have any ideas, so I just thought I would share what the Lord has been teaching me.
I’ve said it a few times already, but one of the things I’ve loved about my Race so far is the rest I’ve found in not working or being a full-time student. I’ve had time to read, paint, draw, worship on my own, sit in coffee shops, and rest. I’ve always struggled with finding the time to rest at home in the States, and by rest I don’t just mean sleeping in, watching Netflix, or taking a nap on Sunday. I don’t believe that social media, entertainment, or whatever other form of distraction you prefer can truly bring the peace and rejuvenation that humans need to fully put forth themselves for the upcoming week. And yes, I realize that’s difficult to hear, and it’s also difficult to say because I freaking love taking naps. But I know my true rest comes from the presence of Jesus, and only he can give me the strength that I need to get through another week of ministry, work, school, unemployment, support raising, or whatever your week looks like.
Taking the time to rest in him and his presence gives me more peace and energy than any number of hours of sleep or TV show has ever given me. I’m not saying that these other things are bad, because they’re not, and it’s important to take care of your body’s physical needs, but filling your spirit and soul is always better than distracting your mind with TV until it’s time to go to bed. When you put your spirit’s needs ahead of your physical ones, the Lord can still take you to high places even when your body isn’t feeling it.
The Lord has also taught me about the importance of dreaming with him. We all have dreams and things we’d like to do (one of mine was becoming a World Racer), and I’ve learned that he loves to hear about the places I want to go and the things I want to see and do with him. Our God longs for intimacy with us, and I believe inviting him into our dreams is a way he can relate to us, dream with us, and work with us to make those dreams reality. When we dream with the Lord he becomes a part of our desires about the future and then helps us to achieve them. I think we too easily forget how personal and affectionate our God is. I know it’s easiest for me to view my relationship with him as formal and official and forget that he still wants to romance me.
The days that I find the most rest are the days where I dream with Jesus, both within and outside of my designated “quiet time” with him. I strongly believe that if Christians spent more time intentionally dreaming with Jesus there would be a lot less complacency in the church body, and that testimonies of his faithfulness, unending love, and divine work would be common– not as something that loses its meaning because of its frequency, but because we have been freely given the authority to approach the throne room of God, because we are his chosen people, and because he is so in love with us he calls us all to greatness to testify the Father’s glory.
He wants to take you to places you could never have imagined yourself.
So my challenge is for you to stop and take a minute and spend some time dreaming, sitting, breathing, and resting in the presence of God. He will always meet you there.
And let me know what happens; I’d love to hear about it!
love always, erika
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14
