what RoomsToGo taught me about life…

I discovered the World Race in June. Then in July I discovered that God wanted me to go on the World Race in October. I actually discovered this while I was cooking meals for a bunch of wonderful youth ambassadors at their training camp at AIM headquarters over the 4th of July weekend. God really just laid it on my heart after some wonderfully open and deep spiritual conversations with a WR alum, as well as lots of tearful prayers! So after this revelation, she felt the need to tell EVERYONE about this (mainly so I wouldn’t back out, ha!) including a WR staffer who had helped us in the kitchen. Of course she would be the very first person I ran into when driving into training camp.

“…are you excited?”

 

There is this great song that I love called “Love & Doubt” which describes the best relationship having a balance of both of those emotions. If I was just all excited about the race and not a little scared or apprehensive at all? Well, that would just be weird and I would be naive to think that it won’t be scary and difficult somtimes. There has to be a balance between everything really. The pretty and the ugly. The safe and the The good and the bad.Like a balance between planning and going with the flow.

 

I am a HUGE planner. I love it. It just makes me rest easier knowing what I am doing tomorrow, next week and a detailed list of how my vacation will go. Yeah, I have a laidback personality but I like knowing the future. I like having concrete plans that I stick to.

Have you ever seen those Rooms To Go commercials where they promise that you won’t have to make payments or pay interest or something like that for like 4 or 5 years later? Call me silly, but for the longest time THAT commercial helped keep my life on track. I would see that when I was young and imagine graduating 5th grade in 2000. “Oh, cool! I will be starting high school in 2003 so if I bought a couch right now I wouldn’t have to start paying for it til I am a freshman! Good to know!” “2007? Graduating high school! Go me!!” “Hey, in 2011 I will be graduating college!” Well, that last one is not going to be true. I honestly haven’t seen one of those commercials in a while. Then, the other day…NO PAYMENTS TILL 2015! BUY NOW! And I kind of freaked out a little bit. I kept my life in check by being able to know and say aloud what I would be doing and where I would be in life by the Rooms To Go payment schedule. So, what will I be doing in 2015? …I have no idea! AHHHHH!

 

By giving up everything to give my life to God for this World Race, that means that I also gave up all of my plans. I gave up any and all ideas and arrangements I once had for myself. I have no clue what to expect or what I will be doing while on the World Race, let alone afterwards. I always thought I would be once of those girls who graduated college, married young, and had a couple of kids in a traditional tudor home by the time I was 25! Obviously that is not quite the direction my life is going right now. And somehow I am okay with that. In fact, I had a beautifully deep spiritual conversation about my mortality beside the corndog stand and ferris wheel at the fair this past weekend. I am just God’s child. And whatever He needs me to do, I will do it. Whether that means going on the World Race and then moving to Colorado for a lifetime of mission work and single life, bring it on! Or it could mean some more community living in Chicago doing homeless ministry. Or maybe I will come right back here to Georgia, go to Emory and become ordained in the United Methodist Church. Who knows! I sure don’t!! But I know through it all I will be okay. Yeah, I am scared and happy all at once. Yeah, I know this trip will be both super amazing and really difficult sometimes. Yeah, I do not know what I am doing in 2015 Rooms To Go, but it does not include your furniture!