I have thought of writing some form of a “wrap up” blog for all of you amazing people (you know who you are), but I honestly don’t believe that I am at an end. As cheesy as it sounds, the past 17 months of my life have just been a part of a wonderful season where I have learned lessons I will use for the rest of my life. . . not even an end of a season. The World Race fits in to my season, but it isn’t the season itself.
I have been home for a month now, and things seem pretty good, and I feel good about them. I am at peace. And that is one way I know the Lord has me in His hands. When I first landed, things were weird, and everyone around me was extremely gracious, giving me time to adjust to America. But, like most countries, I adjusted to American culture pretty easily. I’ve never had trouble getting into a new culture, or returning to one, and America seemed like the perfect month 18 for me to learn more from the Lord.
I spent my first two weeks resting, seeking the Lord, hearing Him speak to me about my new season, furiously writing down all the things He was telling me. I would go to church, coffee shops, my backyard, parks, and events and completely ignore the reason for being there because God was giving me so many good words and thoughts and ideas (I must have looked like I was getting a bunch out of church, but I will say that the Lord was present in those sanctuaries!) I have random words all over my journal, sticky notes, and some I am still trying to retain just in memory.
There are two things that I have learned from the World Race that really stick out to me now in America:
Remembrance: I find myself getting so used to this American life sometimes that I almost forget that I have been all over the world, experiencing new cultures and people, and seeing the Lord move in ways unexplainable. There have been moments where I am walking somewhere or driving somewhere (on the right side of the road) and I have a small freak out, repeating to myself who I am, what I did, and what God has done in my life. I feel a lot like Katniss at the beginning of the third book in the mental hospital in district 13, constantly repeating my personal identity so i won’t forget it.
I think it has helped. Also, I have come to realize the importance of remembering moments and events where the Lord worked in our lives. In the Old Testament, the Israelites would make an Ebenezer, or a monument, to what the Lord has done in a particular place. God knows we are forgetful and, honestly, I think a lot of our sinful lives have to do with our forgetfulness. We forget all that God has done in our past and face our futures with anxiety and fear. We need to remember all that God has done so we can walk forward confidently into the plans He has laid out for us!
Steadfastness: I know that I have put this on some blog in the past, but the Lord keeps bringing it back to me. I have come to realize at home I am a dreamer. I have these crazy thoughts and ideas and present them like reasonable possibilities (was it all of the Disney?). As much as I hate to admit it, I am a romantic disguised as one of the most logical people in the world. I love romantic movies where the man and the women end up together and everything so happens to fall into place. And because of all of these things, I am learning to redefine my version of romantic love.
God has helped me with this so much in the past few months on the World Race. As much as big gestures and acts of service make my heart flutter, I have come to fall in love with the idea of constancy. We live in a society in America that wants everything NOW: music, movies, projects, love, etc. We expect immediate results, and have lost the value of patience and endurance. I am still a little hesitant with enjoying patience, but I love the idea of endurance: with sticking to something, even when it is hard, even when you want to get out, even when it costs you some of your comfort, and choosing to love. That, to me, is my new romantic ideal of love. And I love it! Not only that, but God shows this to us each and every day, we just have to keep our eyes open to all of the things that He is revealing.
The next two weeks I started to meet up with people, share my story, reunite with friends, and enjoy all of the wonderful people the Lord has given me. It doesn’t seem like much, but to me it was great!
I am currently done with two full days of work at my new job working for the production section of a steel fabrication company, as the only woman in my department. I, once again, am a minority, but that doesn’t bother me anymore since I have been in this position for years. I love the work, the Lord is giving me so many good thoughts and words for my coworkers, and I am excited to start praying circles around them!
Know that this isn’t my last post. I intend to continue to share with you some of the stories I have from my race that haven’t been published yet (TOP SECRET), but I did want to say THANK YOU for following my journey overseas, thank you for reading this blog, thank you for praying for me and supporting me, and thank you for reading these words!
There are more stories to be told!
But for now, let me leave you with this little prayer I have for myself and pretty much every human being on earth:
“May you keep dreaming until the day you die,
May imagination take over your memory,
May you die young at a ripe old age.”
Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker
Peace out!
