- I have been laughed at because I don’t know the “correct way” of doing things in other cultures.
- I have worn the same few outfits everyday for 10 months.
- I have been served food that is horrible and ate it to honor my host.
- I have walked through jungles, up mountains, across sketchy bridges, in the rain, and down rocky and muddy paths to talk with and pray for people.
- I have gone without electricity, running water, and flushing toilets.
- In fact, I’ve gone without toilets at all.
- I have eaten rice and beans meal after meal after meal.
- I have sat in the dark, reading by the light of my headlamp.
- I have had headaches and stomachaches and heartaches.
- I have walked 20 minutes in the heat just to get water.
- I have had a cow come after me…twice.
- I have been charged more because I’m American.
- I have had my taxi get stuck on the road, then got out and walked the rest of the way.
- I have woken up in the morning to screaming babies and blaring music.
- I have slept in a bed with 2 other people in a hot room, not allowed to open the window for “security reasons.”
- I have had plans change both for the good and bad.
- I have been irritated with my teammates.
- I have been lonely and hurt and misunderstood.
- I have gone without a shower for longer than I care to say.
- I have redefined clean, acceptable, and good.
- I have altered my limits and readjusted my “personal space” bubble.
- I have been hungry, tired, and frustrated.
What did I learn from it all?
Nobody is devoted to my happiness.
Not my teammates.
Not my contact.
And if it means advancing the kingdom,
Not even God.
My happiness isn’t found in getting my way. It’s found in God getting His way. And it doesn’t always look like what I want. In fact, on the race, it rarely looks like what I want.
But I’ve found that it is still good…that God is so much greater than I realize. When I’m willing to let go of what I want, I end up finding this crazy joy in the middle of what God is doing.
I’m thankful that His ways are higher than mine. If I lived according to my ways, my life would be lacking. Your life would be lacking. In fact, it wouldn’t be a life worth living.
I want my life to be a life worth living.
Nobody is devoted to my happiness.
Not my teammates.
Not my contact.
And if it means advancing the kingdom,
Not even God.
My happiness isn’t found in getting my way. It’s found in God getting His way. And it doesn’t always look like what I want. In fact, on the race, it rarely looks like what I want.
But I’ve found that it is still good…that God is so much greater than I realize. When I’m willing to let go of what I want, I end up finding this crazy joy in the middle of what God is doing.
I’m thankful that His ways are higher than mine. If I lived according to my ways, my life would be lacking. Your life would be lacking. In fact, it wouldn’t be a life worth living.
I want my life to be a life worth living.
