Whether we realize it or not, we are all in search of something bigger. We are always desiring more, whether it’s more depth with the Lord, or more of what this world seems to offer us. Having been home from the World Race for 4 months now, I reflect on how my life has been profoundly changed.
Two years ago today, I felt that itch; that itch for something more. The idea of spending a year traveling to 11 different countries, seeing the world and all the different cultures seemed attractive and surely so much bigger than the life I was living. But that is not what changed my life. It wasn’t about making my world bigger, it was about making me smaller, humbled before our mighty God.
What changed my life was seeing the poor remain neglected by the outside world, yet watching them care for each other the way Jesus cares for us. It was seeing the fatherless and the motherless children left to fend for themselves, while making sure their 7 year old brother was getting the food he needed and the schooling he deserved. It was watching street kids run away from the lack of love they received at home and running into the arms of white strangers who they never let leave without a hug and a kiss. It was watching young girls who were told they weren’t worthy or valuable, graduate high school and pursue a career. It was seeing devastation met head on by relief and hope. It was seeing sorrow met by joy. It was seeing young juveniles, ex-murders, be told they are forgiven and they have a home to go to. It was seeing a family fight for justice. It was seeing starving children be fed every day. It was seeing a 5 year old with third degree burns being cared for and tended to every morning at school. It was seeing young believers hike for 4 days to unreached villages just to share God’s love with them. It was seeing lives being transformed through the power of God’s love. These were the “views” I had everyday. The beauty I saw and the greatness I encountered was far more than just countries I visited. It was the people who were so filled with the Holy Spirit, who were saved by His grace, whose beauty was overwhelming and life changing.
You see, the Lord didn’t need me to go on the World Race. He will do his work with or without me. But he called me on the race to give me new eyes, a new heart, and a new perspective to see the world and his people the way he has intended us to see it. No matter where we are, whether it’s in Cambodia or a city in Indiana, God wants us to be a part of what he is doing. I can’t just leave behind the things I saw and experienced on The World Race. These things have forever changed me. It’s given me a greater responsibility and urgency to show and share the Gospel exactly where the Lord has placed me.
Through the World Race, God revealed to me that he is not concerned about me being comfortable. I learned that I cannot conquer what I’m not willing to confront. I learned an entirely new level of generosity and what it looks like to give, not out of obligation but out of a joyful willingness. I learned how small this world is and how big our God is. And he proved to me every day that we will all be known by the way we love each other.
God is moving in every town, every city, and every country of this world, and no matter where we are, he wants us to be a part of it. Life is not a dress rehearsal, this is it. So what is it that God is asking you to say “Yes” to?
