When I started this journey I really thought the blogging side of things would come very easy. I have never had a blog, but I have been writing practically my entire life and I got my degree in English. However, over the last nine months I have found very little to write about in regards to this journey the Lord has sent me on. I have been trying so hard to finish and focus on one thing at a time. First it was finishing school. The relief of graduating at the end of March lasted about five minutes then I was on to focusing on the next goal, finishing work. Work ended for me last Thursday and now the focus is getting prepared for training camp, but I am learning you can’t really be prepared for anything that has to do with the race. I can sit in front of this computer screen and read a hundred blogs about packing and training, but in reality when the computer is turned off and I lay awake running it all through my head, the truth is it will be different for each one of us. Some things will be the same, we will eat the same food and we will be required to pass the same fitness test, but we will decided what material items are more important to us and just how much emotionally we are willing to surrender to the Lord.
Material wise I have gone over my list a hundred times trying to decide what I can live without and what I just can’t give up. I know that no matter how many times I go over that list I will most likely wish I had done it differently by the time my year on the race is over. Slowly I am beginning to be okay with that. I am finding the freedom in downsizing my closet and never having to wonder what I will wear because the reality is I only have a few things to choose from. In Luke, when sending out the apostles, Jesus told them to take nothing on their journey.
“Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” Luke 9:3
He wanted them to rely on the generosity of other and the faith they had in God. We live in a very privileged nation. Anything and everything we could ever want or need is at our fingertips (literally, just go to Amazon.com). We are being asked to live like the rest of the world for a year, and yet we are still in many ways clinging to the comforts of America. We are able to take as many comforts as we can fit into a hiking backpack and a daypack. We are taking little pieces of our world to those that live with less than what we carry on our backs.
My hope is that while we do not go with just the clothes on our back, we don’t allow the comforts we carry to distract us from the way God wants to change our hearts and minds. That we remember the reason He called us to this journey in the first place and we continue to fight our way down the path that leads to Him.
I have been blown away by the support both finically and in prayer that I have received from everyone throughout this time in my life. You have all been so wonderful and I can’t wait to get going so I can share the world with all of you. If you are still wanting to help out please consider clicking on the “Support Me” link to the left and donating to my trip. My second deadline is fast approaching. By June 17th I need to have $7,500 dollars in my account. Thank you again for all the support you have given so far! Remember to subscribe to receive an email when I post a new blog. God Bless!
