It’s a beautiful thing that no season seems to be the same as we move from one season to the next. Just as God brings new mercies every single morning, each new season brings something new. This season has been one of going deeper and living in the present moment.
I’ve learned that pretty much every single day something will go wrong, depending on our perspective.
If you’re like me and tend to hike a lot, you could be rained on for an hour straight and have no extra pair of clothes and then have 10 leeches on your feet when you take your shoes off. This actually did happen this past weekend. My friends and I Ioved sharing that new experience together. We chose to laugh and press in. We chose to give God the glory for the amazing mountains He created and for handpicking the people to be on our squad to enjoy life together for a year.
If it’s a work day for you, you could have woken up late, got stuck in traffic, not had time to pack a lunch, then got stuck in traffic for an hour on the way home from work as well, and then went to chickfila for a chocolate milkshake to boost your spirits and the machine was broken. That has also happened. I did not press in that day.
One thing I’ve learned being on the World Race is to just go with it. The transportation in other countries can either be very frustrating or just something that becomes one of many adventures in life. I like to get places quickly. I’ve never been patient with things like that. So the fact that sometimes we get lost for hours is hard for me. But I’ve learned to embrace it. I’ve chosen to press in. That’s what it’s about.
It’s about not having such set plans that the Holy Spirit can’t take you someplace else or about getting upset when you get lost.
God has other plans. I’ve realized that getting lost is actually not us getting lost at all.
Sometimes getting lost, or acquiring many leeches on our feet, with our nonbeliever trekking guide, allows us to just enjoy the moment and spend time with the people around us. To show the fruit of the spirit to our guide, Hamal.
A couple days ago, our ministry host asked us to go spend some time with Jesus and to draw a picture God gave us of a person we were meant to give the picture to. Someone God was pursuing. One of the girls drew an open window with blue walls in the background and purple curtains.
After the ministry time, we got a bus back to our house but we got on the wrong bus that took us in the completely wrong direction. From there, we decided it would just be easier to walk home. So off we went.
As the sun went down, about 30 min from home, we passed that house with purple curtains and an open window.
God knows what He’s doing.
So we stopped, we threw the piece of paper into the window, and started walking away. Yes that was our best idea at the time.
But guys the man came to the window!
He came down and sat with us. Our mentor, Erika, who had drawn the picture, shared the gospel with him and prayed with him. He was hungry for the one that eternally satisfies. He is still ready to make that leap of faith but he knows God loves him and he knows God is pursuing him.
This is how I believe Jesus lived His life while on earth- He woke up early to spend time with His Father. He didn’t do a single thing without that one on one time. He lived by His Father’s voice alone.
And then, he went back to his disciples. Had some breakfast with them. Spent time with them. Did life with them.
Then, He walked. They walked.
He walked and walked, and as he walked, people were drawn to Him, and as he walked, he abided. He abided in His Father. And lives were changed. God changed lives because Jesus listened.
I’ve tried to model that before, but sometimes I get too busy to just walk. I get too distracted to spend my first moments with Jesus. But, being here in Nepal has taken me back to how Jesus lived.
We never start our day without at least an hour of just listening to what God has for us that day. And then we just walk. And abide. Listen and obey. And lives are being changed because of it. Because God is good and He is working.
This can be as simple as showing genuine gratitude. I can sometimes seem ungrateful. I just don’t show my thankfulness like I should. But the people here, they work hard. They are extremely hospitable. They remind me of my mom and dad in that way. They invite random strangers into their homes and put so much work into their meals. They’re servants. They are hard workers. And they don’t complain. This weekend, abiding meant I was thanking the 2 women who made our meals at the tea house we stayed at, and raving about the food. My team showed they were abiding when thy talked to our trekking guide about Jesus and showed how much God wanted him to turn to Him. My teammates’ obedience showed Hamal how much God loves him. Hamal was actually sponsored by a christian couple to go to college in Florida. God is chasing his heart.
Abiding meant not complaining when things went wrong, but seeing from an eternal perspective. I’m so thankful for this life. For a home team that loves me and for a team here that loves me. For each moment I can walk with Jesus. For the many people I get to meet along the way. For the outcasts and prodigals we get to welcome home. God is so good, and even if I get lost along the way, I will still praise Him. Thank you Jesus for having complete control of each journey I take.
