“When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples in Luke 9, He told them to “take nothing for the journey-no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.” Why do you suppose He said this? Why not let them run home and grab a few supplies? Why not allow them to bring some money along just in case? Jesus was forcing His disciples to trust Him. God would have to come through because they had nothing else to fall back on.
This place of trust isn’t a comfortable place to be; in fact, it flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means willing to go without an extra tunic or a place to sleep at night, or sometimes without even knowing where we are going. God wants us to trust Him with abandon. He wants to show us how He works and cares for us. He wants to be our refuge.”
From Crazy Love by Francis Chan
My World Race Journey (so far):
June 9th– I took a leap of faith and applied for The World Race. It was big and scary and exciting and all of the things combined. But it wasn’t that risky. You see, I applied using a free application code. I applied thinking I may not get accepted or even if I did, it didn’t mean I actually had to go. I applied without telling anyone- my family, my boyfriend. I applied through a VERY detailed application and interview process and feeling fully inadequate and unworthy of being accepted. But, I applied.
June 25th– I got a phone call while on the beach in South Carolina with my best friend in the whole world and her family. I was accepted. God chose me for this team and this squad. ME. I thanked them for the phone call, cried happy (and scared) tears, but didn’t commit yet. I wanted to go home, talk to my family, think about it and pray about it, and then decide. They said they’d give me a few days and asked me to commit within a week.
July 5th– I committed to the race. Or, at least I paid my deposit securing my spot and “committing”. But in my mind I thought, it’s only $150, I can totally back out if need be. I won’t start fundraising yet or anything. What about my job, home, boyfriend, dog, family, etc.? I was committed. Kind of.
August 14th– I went in front of the Superintendent of my school district and told him of my plans to leave my job for 11 months to pursue a missions trip and spread the love of Jesus throughout the world. I asked him to consider holding my job for me. I laid out a detailed plan for how it would benefit the district and me as a counselor. I let him know that I was already committed to going, but could still back out. I asked for God’s favor, knowing I wasn’t tenured, he and my school district owed me nothing, and there was a good possibility that he would say no. He asked for some time and we agreed to meet again to discuss it in September.
September 16th– I announced my trip on Facebook, at my church, and to my extended family and friends. I began fundraising and in my mind took the “no going back” step. This is where I decided to trust fully in God knowing that I may not have a job, house, relationship to come home to. This is where I decided, no matter what, I’m doing this. This is where it became real and my faith became stretched and challenged. I decided that despite loving my job and knowing full well that I may not have it to come back to, I was still going to go. This was very hard for me because I had to put myself in a situation where I would be vulnerable if God didn’t come through. I had to trust in His provision both on the race, and even more difficultly, when I come home from the race. This is where some people may have thought I was crazy leaving a job where I was established and secure. A job that I essentially created for myself that fit my skill set and desires so perfectly that I couldn’t imagine giving up. A job that feels like a mission field already, every day. I struggled with feelings of guilt knowing I was leaving one calling for another, knowing I would be leaving students and staff without services that they needed, knowing that I was leaving a spot where I was needed. But I did it. I stepped out in faith, trusted God, and COMMITTED to going on the race.
And now, we come to today. Last night, October 15th, the school board in my district placed a vote regarding my leave of absence and the status of my position upon my return from The World Race. And they unanimously agreed to grant my leave and to hold my position. God came through. He moved the mountain. He made a way for me to have both and to not have to sacrifice one calling for another.
Later in the Francis Chan book, Crazy Love, he says, “God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.”
God comes through and God provides when we fully trust in Him and His plans. What situation are you in where you are struggling to put your full trust in God? What challenge are you facing that is being met with doubt or fear? Where is God challenging you to be UNAFRAID to trust Him?
I know that the World Race will be hard. I know that leaving my family and friends and home and all that I know for 11 months will be gut-wrenchingly difficult. I know that fundraising will be challenging. But I know God will provide.
