Why the World Race?
Let me begin the answer to this question with a little story from my past.
I mentioned in my “about me” post how I use to struggle with finding my identity in relationships. For most of my life, every time a relationship ended, it was the end of the world. My life fell apart for the time being. Well there was a particular breakup my senior year of high school that hurt me more than usual, and I was really struggling. To cope with the heartbreak, I started meeting with my youth pastor, Bryan. He offered an ear to listen and helped talk me through the anxiety I experienced. One thing Bryan did changed my life. He gave me a book.
This book was called “Love Does” by Bob Goff. In one chapter of the book, he reflects on a memory from his past, and I won’t get into that, but he talks about what he learned about how we should love. The specific phrase he used was “audacious love.” Merriam-Webster.com states that audacious can mean “recklessly bold.” The Lord calls us to be bold in our faith, so shouldn’t we also be bold in the way we love people? After reading Goff’s words, it clicked for me. There is more to being a Christian than just believing in and preaching the Gospel. GOD CALLS US TO LOVE!!! And he isn’t just talking about our friends and family. He’s talking about everyone. When the Lord said “Love thy neighbor,” he didn’t just mean those in your neighborhood. He meant your neighboring states, your neighboring countries and your neighboring continents. He calls us to love every beautiful soul he created on his beautiful Earth, whether they believe in Christ or not. We need to learn to love people no matter what: when it takes you out of your comfort zone, when it’s not the popular thing to do, when people don’t SEEM to deserve it for terrible things they’ve done, and when they they don’t share your faith, skin color, culture, or background. It takes guts to love like this, but it’s how our God calls us to love. We shouldn’t live in fear of what the consequences might be when we love like our Heavenly Father does.
Making that realization put me on a path that led me to where I am today. Now, to tie my story into answering the question. Since reading that book, I’ve been on a mission to love as many people as possible. Simply put, I love loving people. I also want to spread my realization to as many believers as possible. What better way to love ALL of God’s children and spread this message than to travel the world?
There are numerous more reasons behind my commitment to this endeavor. I have a long way to go on my faith walk. I’m always looking for ways to strengthen my relationship with the Lord, and the World Race is a phenomenal opportunity to do just that. I grew up in a Christian home, which of course was a blessing, however I feel as if I never had the radical transformation from being a non-believer to a believer. The World Race offers me a chance to experience something similar to that.
As this post comes to a close, I ask you to deeply consider the words I have written. Let God speak to you. And however he calls you to support me on this journey, whether it be financially, with love and support, or with your prayers, I humbly thank you.
P.S. Remember to Love Audaciously
