It has been one year and three days since I first arrived at Launch in Washington, D.C. for the greatest adventure of my life (as of yet). And it has been one month and three days since I’ve returned home to Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Over the year, there have been many World Race-isms that I’ve adopted into my vocabulary. One of those is processing.
And in the month and three days that I’ve been home, I’ve had some time to process this past year. On my flight home from Project Searchlight, a 5-day conference held in Gainesville, Georgia to help Racers plan their next steps, I began thinking about what I will take from my World Race experience into the rest of my life.
That being said, here are eleven tidbits (because of course, my journey was 11 countries in 11 months) that I will take away from the World Race:
1) Keep an open mind. Don’t hold expectations, but expect God to move.
From the first day at launch, my expectations have consistently been shattered. We’ve had team changes and route changes. The places I desired to go to the most weren’t necessarily the ones I fell in love with. The most unexpected friendships arose from those I connected with around the world and within my squad. And what I wanted for myself often wasn’t what the Lord had in mind.
And this will continue to ring true for the rest of my life. And yours.
So whenever you enter a new season or situation in life, leave your expectations- to the best of your ability- at the door. And trust that no matter what does or doesn’t happen, the Lord is going to move, and His glory will be revealed.
2) Seek to be stretched. We don’t grow when we’re not challenged.
A few days into my time at Project Searchlight, I wanted to go home. I felt emotional and overwhelmed and to be honest, I just wanted to make a smoothie and cuddle on the couch with my mom. But when I shared this with my coach she asked, “Is that a bad feeling?” I thought and then replied, “Well, it’s uncomfortable.”
And then I realized, being uncomfortable is what causes us to grow. Of course, we like comfort. We like familiar people and places and things… but I only was feeling overwhelmed because Project Searchlight was challenging me to think about my future and to make life goals to impact the Kingdom. Really great things!
So, seek to be stretched. Resist the urge to sit in your comforts, instead of standing for something worthwhile.
3) Live in community.
I lived in community with the same six people, 24/7, for nearly a year of my life. And I have to be honest, it was difficult. At times I got annoyed and bitter and jealous. My pride was hurt, my insecurities were unveiled. But it was so good. I learned so much about myself through living so closely with others. And despite the difficulties, we supported and encouraged and loved one another to the best of our abilities.
I’m not saying that you should move in with a group of your co-workers… although maybe that would be good for you. But God created us for community, and we need to be intentional (another World Race-ism) about surrounding ourselves with like-minded people.
4) Stay PRESENT! All we have is today, right now.
On the Race, there is always something to be looking forward to. Every month you travel to a new country, every couple of months you have a debrief with your squad. And the closer it gets to the end of the Race, the more you’re thinking about home and what will come after that.
And even in our every day lives, this tugging on our minds to a future place or time can keep us from fully enjoying life, right now. Our lives are but a mist that are here for a little while and then vanish (James 4:14). And while that mist hovers on this earth, I don’t just want to be alive, I want to LIVE!
5) Don’t let your circumstances determine your actions. Ministry (and everything else) is what you make it.
This ties in with staying present. In Uganda, it was difficult to make the most of every moment. Our contacts seemed less than thrilled that we were there, and over half of us suffered from Malaria. Ministry often looked like our contacts leading us from shop to shop, making small-talk and asking for prayer requests. I became frustrated because I felt that our ministry was shallow and ineffective. Then one day it hit me… it isn’t up to our contacts to make our ministry meaningful; it’s up to us!
Kind of like the phrase: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” We can get frustrated with our circumstances, or we can make the most of them. And I can guarantee one thing… you will only regret the times that you didn’t make lemonade.
6) Be content with less. Never let things of this world control you.
On the Race, each of us carried one large hiking backpack and one regular-sized backpack. In those two packs held all of our belongings for the entire year. And I can honestly tell you- although I would have liked a few more outfits to choose from- I had everything that I needed. In fact, every time I packed up my things and lugged them onto my back, I wished that I had even less.
So amongst the glitz and glamour that accompany the Western culture, I desire to keep this mindset. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I won’t pretend that I’m never going to buy new clothes or go out to eat at Olive Garden. But I want my heart to remain invested in eternal things, more than anything else.
7) Don’t doubt the provision of the Lord.
Every person that goes on the World Race must raise $15,500 to cover food, lodging, and travel for the year. I didn’t know how it would happen, but slowly and surely the money appeared in my account. If we live our lives seeking after His heart, He will always provide. I know it’s easier to say than to sometimes believe. But our lives are all a testament to the ways in which the Lord has and will continue to provide.
8) Follow through. Be a person of integrity.
I believe that you don’t need to say “I promise…” to make a commitment. Matthew 5:37 says, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.'” Within ministry, this meant if you told a little girl you would come to her house for dinner, and her house happened to be at the bottom of the mountain you lived atop, and it was pouring down rain, you’d go.
We all have friends who could be described as “flaky” or “unreliable.” Maybe you’ve been described that way in the past… but we always have the opportunity to change. I know that I want to be valued as a woman of integrity, whose ‘yes’ means ‘yes.’ And I think to achieve this, we mustn’t be afraid to say ‘no.’
9) Ask for feedback. We always have room to grow and better reflect Christ.
A couple times a week, my team participated in feedback. Another World Race-ism.
We encouraged each other where we saw the light of Christ at work and called each other higher when we didn’t see each other living up to our full potential. Most of the time, constructive feedback was difficult to hear. However, it opened our eyes to areas of growth and helped shape us into more accurate reflections of Christ. And the positive feedback affirmed the good character qualities we each possess.
Despite the year living in intense community, I know I still have areas where I lack humility, patience, grace, etc. And areas to be encouraged in! So ask for feedback. It may feel a bit awkward or unnatural, but I promise it is life-changing.
10) Give grace to yourself and others.
I’m a perfectionist in many areas of my life, so when I fall short I can be pretty hard on myself. On the Race, I would often feel defeated when I realized that I did something that I had received feedback on. But over the course of this past year, I’ve recognized that a large part of accepting God’s love is accepting His grace. He has lavished His grace upon us, and we don’t need to be hard on ourselves. We just need to live lives of gratitude.
But in turn, we must give grace to others. We are all imperfect beings. That’s why we need Jesus. I’ve recently been going through a devotional called 30 Days To Taming Your Tongue, and in it the author writes “[Judgmental people] judge others by their actions but judge themselves by their intentions.” And while I can be hard on myself, I have found myself in this place as well. We need to take the planks out of our eyes before we can take the specks out of our neighbors’.
11) Choose joy.
There are a lot of unexpected or undesirable things that come our way. On the Race, it was long travel-days on crowded trains, team changes, miscommunications, and problems with our bowels… among many others. And I am so, so thankful that my teammates usually chose joy.
This doesn’t mean they were happy, peppy people all of the time. In fact, I think I would have found that annoying. Choosing joy doesn’t mean fabricating a certain feeling of happiness like Colbie Caillat’s song “Bubbly.” It means deciding to put your best foot forward and to make the most of whatever circumstances placed before you. Hebrews 12:2 says “for the joy set before Him, [Jesus] endured the cross.” So in the midst of trials and everyday life… choose joy. It honestly makes a world of difference.
**Be creative.
Our God is marvelously creative. He intricately designed the universe and continues to create new things… He paints beautiful sunsets and grows fields of wildflowers and knits new beings together every day. And He has written and continues to write the most epic story of love and redemption the world will ever know.
And we are made in His image! Creativity delights and inspires and opens our hearts and minds to dream for the impossible. Don’t think creativity is reserved for painters and musicians. It’s a way of thinking; always being ready to make an ordinary moment into something extraordinary.
