“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3
Throughout the 7 months I've been on the field, I have had some amazing experiences. I have made lifelong friends and memories that will remain long after these 11 months are over. But I’ve also had some really hard experiences. I’ve missed my family and friends. I’ve struggled with ministry that was hard to fully engage in and with uncomfortable situations that I didn't face in America.
But whether my circumstances were easy to handle or a challenge, I’ve grabbed hold of them and asked God what He had for me in the midst of it all.
Until this month…
This month has been a struggle to find God in what I'm doing.
Not because of the ministry. The ministry I am involved with this month is amazing…one of my favorite of the Race. And it hasn’t been because of my accommodations, which are probably the best I’ve had since I’ve left America. So why is this month a struggle?
Because I’m tired of the Race.
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that or if it’s acceptable to be on a journey like this and feel that way, but it’s the truth.
The Race isn’t what I expected at all. I know, I know…as a racer we are suppose to leave behind all expectations…I failed.
There are incredible things about the Race…the things we read about in blogs that make our hearts beat fast. I’ve hiked 3 hours to a remote village, crossing a waist deep river 12 times. I’ve ridden down a river in a raft made of banana tree trunks and bamboo. Amazing? Definitely stories I will always tell.
But there are also things about the race that seem all wrong. Things that make racers look at each other and think, “I’m not sure about this one?”
So, here I am in month 8 (Mumbai, India) with 3 more countries to go. Surely God didn’t place me here for 11 months so that I could check out the last 3…right?
While I sit here trying to figure out what the rest of my Race is going to look like, I’m reminded of the day I left Birmingham, Alabama. I’m reminded of my sister looking me in the eyes and telling me that there will be days I want to give up. That I will be homesick and probably physically sick, but at the end of the day, there are 10,000 reasons to praise God. Look for those, and praise Him in the midst of whatever circumstance I find myself.
So, I’m in month 8…a little tired of living on the Race, a lot ready to see my family, and a lot ready for some Mexican food…but here are some of the 10,000 reasons I have to praise my Papa.
