So many people have asked me what I am doing this summer before I leave in September for the World Race. My original plan for this summer was that I would use this time for fundraising and preparing for the race in terms of purchasing gear, getting vaccines, saying all of my “See you in 11 months” goodbye to friends, and packing to leave . While I thought that this would keep me quite busy I have quickly come to find that my afternoons look slightly different.
I am bored.
Unlike my friends, brother, and parents I don’t have a job right now, and while this would sound nice to some people, I can assure you for me, it’s not. You see, not only am I an extrovert and thrive off of spending time with people, but I also like to remain busy and enjoy having a schedule. So being alone at home most afternoons with nobody to talk to but myself, my cat, and Siri, with very little to do, has made me quite lonely and discontent. Yet, in wondering what to do with my time the Lord has graciously revealed to me that He intended for my summer to look just the way it does.
I have been seeing this time as a burden, just letting each day pass as one closer to leaving for the Race. I’ve been waiting for life to become adventurous, exciting, and challenging and in doing so I have unintentionally been wishing this time away. I am looking at this summer entirely wrong.
The Lord has shown me that this brief period of transition in my life is intentionally slow. It’s actually exactly what the Lord wants for me right now and it is, in fact, a gift. Yes, a gift from the Lord.
He has given me the summer to prepare, but in a way that I was overlooking. I thought I would be focused on getting together gear, meeting with people about support and so on. While this is all very important, He is actually preparing me in a way that is much more crucial to my journey.
I’ve come to discover that the reason for this specific season is rest. This time between graduation and leaving for the World Race is for me to rest in the Lord and grow in Christ. The Lord is asking me to be still, rest, and know that He is doing something with this time whether I can see it or not. I need this time of rest in order to be spiritually healthy for ministry on the World Race, and the Lord knows that even when I didn’t. As much of a challenge as it is for me to be still and stop trying to fill my time with meaningless tasks and busy work, He has commanded me to trust Him and know that what needs to get done will be fulfilled just not in my time.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
-Psalm 46:10
As He is revealing Himself more and more to me in this time, He is also revealing to me what preparation I will really need for the World Race.
If I am not prepared and equipped with the armor of God, next year will be impossible.
The most important tools that I need for my journey are Scripture and God’s Word. Without them I am nothing but an empty vessel, having nothing to pour out to others. This time is best used preparing myself in solitude with the Lord with this very thing. I am learning that this time will be crucial for the World Race. Since we work so closely with our team and travel as a squad, it is often joked about on the World Race that racers are never alone. This summer is free time to recharge, prepare and to soak in the uninterrupted abundant alone time with the Lord that I have now. I know that I will be stretched and grown in very different ways in both this season of rest, and next season of the World Race, yet they’re both important opportunities to bring God glory so I will do just that with my time.
I will rest and be still, I will know and continue to learn who He is and who He is making me to be in this quiet lull, and I will praise Him for this season as it prepares me for the next.
