Currently I am on a road trip, driving my best friend (and former youth group member) to college in Washington state. From Kentucky.
That's 5000 miles of love.
We've had the BEST time. We decided we would make this trip into a genuine road trip, traveling far down to the lower part of Texas before heading up to California and then north on the Pacific Coast Highway. We've been able to do some really amazing things: visit the Alamo, ride a cable car to the tip top of San Francisco, hike in the Redwood Forest… And it has been just incredible. Truly. I'm beyond blessed.
One of the things that has been most memorable, however, was our day at the Grand Canyon. I mean, seeing the Grand Canyon, letting the wind blow through my hair, sitting on the rim and dangling my feet over nothing but the manifest glory of the Lord- it was breathtaking. But what struck me most about this day was the people! Hundreds of people also visited the Canyon that day. And they were NOT from the US. We heard German, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Italian. There was sign language. We heard British accents and Scottish ones.
THAT was incredible.
I was lucky enough to grow up all over the dang place. I lived in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky. I traveled the country frequently and later, when I was on the National Karate Team, I traveled all over the world. I have never been one to struggle with homesickness or fear of the unknown. Many of the students I went to school with had never been out of their home state. Some had lived in one house their entire lives (which is AWESOME). But, through no fault of their own, they had no concept of or concern about what the world might be like outside their own home town.
Being a people-watcher at heart, I found this day to not only be an awe-inspiring glance into glory, it was also an educational experience. Seeing different cultures interact, hearing their languages- it was a little slice of heaven! I can't comprehend what it's like to live in one place forever. I can't imagine a world in which people only dress like me, talk like me, act like me.
Seeing twenty different cultures, hearing their languages, just reminded me that the world IS bigger than my own backyard, and I'm ready to go experience it again!
Going on World Race is going to give me a unique opportunity not only to experience other cultures, but to serve them as well. It's not just about getting to travel or see things, it's about becoming less so that through my obedience God can become more.
I really believe God has given me a heart for the world. He has given me a curiosity for other people, who they are, where they live, what their days are like. This is my chance to bless Him for blessing me. You can, too! Have a love of cooking? Make a meal for your neighbors. Have a desire to pursue the stage? Do it. Use your God-given talents! Don't throw them to the side, they are your chance to glorify God! He gives us desires, abilities, and skills so that we might take every opportunity to pursue them and to use them to bring Him honor. My desire, and therefore my path, is to take the Lord's love and mercy to the world, to be His hands and feet, to live as His messenger of light and hope.
