July 24, 2010
When asked what my Facebook status would say if I were to update it now I said, “meeting my new family for the next year (and sweating a LOT)!” Now I know why Atlanta boasts the nickname “Hotlanta.” Holy cow! I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I got here. No joke! This is out of control.
God has already been teaching me so much today. Patience, for one. Last night, I waited on a teammate in BV, today we waited on the plane while maintenance guys fixed someone’s seat. Really? Is that entirely necessary? And so the start of WR prep begins…things won’t always go as planned. I will get frustrated. But I need to trust that it’s all part of God’s plan.
Tonight Jimmy talked a lot about expectations. We all have them coming in even if we don’t realize it. At one time or another during this adventure, and even during Training Camp, we will probably become disappointed or let down because something didn’t meet “our expectations.” He talked about how we should strive to be like-minded as Jesus when He made Himself nothing and became a servant (Philippians 2). How cool that our Savior came to serve us! I want to pour out His love and lavish it on others-my teammates, squad leaders, roommates, family, strangers. I want everyone I come in contact with to know the love of Christ–His sacrificial love that surpasses all.
After the message tonight we joined up with 3-4 other teammates and walked through an experience that symbolized letting go of our expectations. The expectations of where we’ll be going, what we’ll be doing, people we’ll be in contact with, our teams, God, and the expectations our families, friends, supporters, etc have for us. It was a very humbling exercise which ended in a beautiful picture of what our next year will look like.
