If you live in Indianapolis like I do, then “This is May” conjures up images of checkered flags, neighborhood porch parties, and most of all, the Indy 500.
This year, May takes on a special meaning for me as I recently received two pledges that mean I am FULLY FUNDED for the World Race!
I want to stop right here and say a huge THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to each and every person reading this right now and everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way. God is so good and worked in so many cool ways to allow me to raise the money I needed for this trip, and I am so grateful for all of the people who have contributed with gifts of resources, gear, and prayers.
I have been brought to tears so many times these last few months as dear friends, coworkers, and family members have rallied around me. Thank you all for being part of my community and preparing me to head out into the world.
Speaking of heading out into the world: our route has changed slightly! We will now be going to Panama instead of Guatemala and starting in Nicaragua. See below for the full picture:
Community and transition are top of mind for me this month as I prepare to leave in just a few short weeks. This past weekend, I got to travel back to South Bend, IN and spend time with friends from my college community. Some of them are still undergrads, finishing up papers and exams and getting ready for summer internships or for graduation and moving on to their next endeavor. Some, like myself, have graduated within the last few years and are already onto the next chapter of their lives.
As I walked around, got coffee, shared meals, and chatted with my friends, I realized I’m not the only one in a season of transition.
Many of my friends are facing big decisions right now, whether with job opportunities, city moves, or relationships, and it made me realize that every change in our life offers an opportunity to ask questions.
Questions like:
1) What is important to me?
2) Where am I heading right now?
3) Why do I really want what I think I want?
I think we should wrestle with these questions, especially the last one. That last one has convicted me quite a few times in the past as I came to realize that I wanted certain things for the wrong reasons, or that I actually didn’t want them at all when I really stopped to think about it.
In the Bible, God tells us “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4). Oftentimes we think this is an invitation to make God our genie, granting us whatever we want, but I’d invite us to take a different look.
When we focus on our relationship with God, he literally shapes what we want and helps us to desire the things that he desires.
Another verse tells us that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27).
When we focus on our relationship with God, he opens our hearts to the people he loves, people on the fringes of society, and we start to desire to serve them rather than being so distracted by things the world offers and says we should want most (money, achievement, fame, etc.).
Seasons of transition and change like the one I am in now remind me that everything here is temporary, so I should focus on those things that have a forever-impact. Things like loving people well and looking out for those who don’t have anyone looking out for them.
I believe that as faithful as the tulips that line the path to the Notre Dame Grotto in the spring, seasons of change come into our lives to point us back to the Lord.
I am so grateful for the communities and the people who have helped point me back to the Lord during big life transitions. I am grateful, too, that even when we experience change and upheaval, God is our one constant: as the Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).
I would invite any of you still reading at this point to lean into God and how he is shaping you through whatever changes you’re facing right now, and to comment below with any life changes you’re facing that I can be praying for. I would love to support you in your journey as many of you have supported me!!
If you’re looking for some encouragement amidst transition, check out this song Seasons by Hillsong (shoutout to Zigs for showing it to me!).
Thank you for journeying with me, and be blessed as you go out this week!
Much love to you!
