Why? Why do crazy things? Why do things that go against the status quo? Why do things that kinda terrifying you? Why push yourself miles outside your comfort zone? Why give 100%, when you could get by with 70%? Why jump off cliffs and climb volcanoes and do hard things? I think for most of my life I would have said, “do it for the experience!” Don’t get me wrong, I love experiences. Experiences play such a huge part in molding us into who we become…I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. I’ve been fortunate enough to do some pretty amazing things in my lifetime that have solidified my character. However, over the past couple weeks, God has begun to show me where He comes in, and how knowing Him is the ultimate experience.
The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8) Taste. See. Know. Know for yourself. One of the biggest themes of the Race for me has been head knowledge moving to heart knowledge. I have a lot of head knowledge. I did the math, and I’ve spent well over 10,000 hours in the church. That’s a lot of hours. Going into the race, I had such a firm foundation. A foundation that, over the last 6 months, has been through storms but not cracked or crumbled. Now, since I am a pro church-kid, I know that sanctification takes a lifetime, and that we’ll never stop learning new things about our infinite Lord. However, when I first left for the mission field, I thought I was pretty darn set. I assumed the Race would be me giving of myself and discovering more about the Lord, but I wasn’t too concerned about personal transformation. I didn’t think I “needed it” as much as I thought others did. Boy was I wrong. Maybe I seem like a put-together missionary who doesn’t make “bad” life choices, but I’m a human who needs her Savior to transform her life just the same as the most lost, seemingly hopeless person.
Back to heart knowledge…I’d never really heard about the concept of head and heart knowledge before the race. I didn’t realize how weak the faith was of the person who knew about God’s love, grace, and kindness. How much stronger is the faith of the person who has experienced these attributes? Just think: you’re trying to write a report about someone. I personally love writing. I can write a pretty great report after researching someone. Give me a couple books and articles and I’ll get an A. But what if you did life with this person you were writing about? What if, instead of reading about this person’s experiences, you were right next to them the whole time doing it with them. I don’t know about you, but I think you’d have a much stronger grasp on who that person really, truly was. You wouldn’t be completely reliant on other people’s opinion of that person. You’d know for yourself.
God isn’t just our strength. He’s MY strength. He isn’t just our Father, He’s MY Father. He isn’t just our provider. He’s MY provider. In the midst of amazing, scary, confusing, devastating, joyous, awe-filled experiences, God shows up and shows me who He is. God isn’t generic. He’s not text-book. He doesn’t fit in a box. He’s MY God. He’s YOUR God. He is infinite, and wants to reveal His infinite self to us. So next time you’re half-dead hiking up an impossibly large mountain, or knee-deep in work, or crying of laughter with friends, ask God to reveal more of Himself to you. Whatever you’re experiencing, I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed…because God truly is the ultimate experience.
