half since being home has turned out to be a little adventure in itself. I’ve been uber busy celebrating birthday
parties, graduations, taking road trips, all the while trying to figure out how
my relationship with God was going to “fit” into my jam-packed life back in the
US. Coming from an environment where my
main priority was seeking and serving the Lord to a world with a million
distractions at my finger tips or just a car drive away, I’m learning what it
means to truly sacrifice my time for the Lord. This was difficult at first (especially after Angry Birds found its way
into my life), but I find the more I do it, the more that’s what I rather be
doing anyway.
Part of me imagined coming home and fitting back into the
mold that I left in. The other part of
me was hoping that the Lord had grown me enough to bust out of that mold
all-together. Of course, I didn’t want
to come back as a completely different person, but I did want to come back so
passionate about Him that I was no longer content living my day to day missing
out on what He had for not only me but those that He put in my path. I’ve also praying that the Lord would guide
me down new, uncharted territory with my future (more on that later).
I’ve been able to spend a bit of time reflecting on where I’ve been this past year, the people who
have impacted my life so much, the prayers the Lord has answered, the prayers the
Lord has not answered which I’m now grateful for, the squad that I’ve come to
love so much, the people who have supported me day after day through prayer and
finances while I’ve been on the Race and the ways that I’ve been so ridiculously
blessed throughout my life, with this past year being one prime example.
This year, my idea of who God was has been completely shattered. I’ve come to know Him so much more intimately
than I even knew possible. I’ve come to
places of dependency with Him that I find myself craving as I make my way back into
the comforts of the American lifestyle. Now
I pray continually and expectantly because
I’ve seen the Lord do miracles. I’ve seen Him heal the sick, the broken, the lost.
I’ve also seen Him answer the simplest
prayers, like my craving for banana pancakes which I ate an abundance of all
throughout Vietnam!
race, about the realness of His Word
to friends, family and complete strangers. In our culture, it seems that Christianity has
become so black and white that people have gotten comfortable going through the
motions and calling it a day. This has
been what my walk with the Lord, or more accurately, my walk in front of the Lord
has looked like for the majority of my life. The truth is, there’s so much more to it! A life that’s passionately following the Lord
is an exciting one. There’s always a new
adventure to be had, and the Lord wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure, adventure can mean traveling abroad,
but there’s also adventure in our daily walk with Him…even in our own back
yard! Perhaps He’s calling you to step
out and talk to a neighbor that may need a friend, to provide a meal for someone
in need, maybe He’s calling you to step into leadership within the church or
take a homeless person to lunch. Perhaps
He’s calling you to invite someone from work to church with you this
Sunday. You never know what the heck He’ll
ask you to do next, but that’s the best part. Yes, you’ll be uncomfortable, that’s pretty much a given. But do it anyway. You won’t regret it.
Disclaimer: I haven’t come close to perfecting what it looks
like to walk with God and obey each prompting He gives. This is an ongoing, constant choice that has
to be made throughout each day. We’ll be
working on it together 🙂
** Show me your ways,
O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are
God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ~ Psalm 25: 4-5
