There’s a lot of preparation that goes into the World Race. Whether it be searching for the right equipment, figuring out what vaccinations I will need, fundraising my support, finding a way to pay my student loan payments while I’m away, and of course preparing my heart for what I will face. I admit that I am guilty of focusing so much on all the things that need to get done, that I lose sight of why I am doing this. I lose sight of God.
I get caught up in the impossibility of it all, that I forget God promised to do the impossible. In Genesis, He promised Abraham that his barren wife would have a son. In 1 Samuel, He promised David that he would strike down the giant Philistine, Goliath. In Mark, Jesus promised that he would rise three days after his death. If God fulfilled all those impossible promises, I know that He will fulfill His promise to provide for my trip. My faith comes when I have to believe that truth instead of just know it.
Through this process, I love that God has given me opportunities to learn. He has given me opportunities to learn about myself but most importantly opportunities to learn about Him. No detail goes unnoticed by God. He places people and situations in our lives to help prepare us for what’s to come. My time spent at camp this summer specifically has been preparing me for things I might face while abroad. I’ve learned a lot about what it’s like to work on a ministry team. Yes, camp ministry is very different from what I’ll experience on the race, but we will have the same mission to share the love of Jesus Christ to those who don’t know Him. Being a part of a team that not only works together but lives in community with each other for extended periods of time can be difficult. I believe that camp has equipped me to be in that kind of community during my race. Something else the Lord has taught me through camp is how to focus on what is truly important. Outside distractions like the Texas heat, lack of sleep, exhaustion, difficult campers, drama, and more are used by Satan to keep us from God-centered ministry. We spend more time complaining about what is hard, that we miss what is good amidst those hardships. It is the difficult circumstances that make following God worth it. Satan tries to make ministry hard because He knows how much good can come from it.
The last lesson that I want to share is about my specific job at camp. My job is to work ropes course activities, belaying at the rock wall, clipping campers into the giant swing, hooking them on the zip line, and more. I have the opportunity to help campers overcome any fear they might have when they are on a ropes element. I get to speak with them about what it looks and feels like to have complete trust in the rope, in me as the facilitator, and in God. It’s rare that a camper is comfortable climbing up at 30 foot pole, standing on top, and jumping off. However, through these kinds of activities, I can see what God can do despite our fear. The second they jump off that pole or go down that zip line and they can feel the tension of the rope catch them, their faces light up because they did what they thought was impossible for them. They conquered their fear because they put complete trust in the Lord. God has taught me through my experiences at these ropes activities that our fear may be great, but He certainly is greater. I know that when I am gone on the race, I will face insecurities and fears that seem impossible to overcome, but I pray that I can ask myself, “Do you trust Him?” just like I have asked the campers all summer. I too can jump knowing that God will catch me on the other end.
So the preparation may not always be fun, but I am excited for more lessons that the Lord will bless me with. There are a ton of things that need to get done, but preparing means learning, learning how to live in a community, learning to focus on God when it seems impossible, and learning how to help others through their fears and anxieties. It will all be worth the preparation.
