Myth: idealized conception; a set of often idealized or glamorized ideas and stories surrounding a particular phenomenon, concept, or famous person.
I found out, about an hour ago, that apparently I have allowed some myths to creep in my pack and onto the Race with me. I have let expectations about what the Race is or is not define my time here, which honestly, has sucked. Therefore, since God so graciously revealed this to me, I want to share my experiences with you, so that you are free to experience the Race exactly how it was intended; expectationaless. (I realize this is not a word, but just go with me for dramatic effect here)
1. You won’t have any expectations. Believe me, somehow, someway, they will creep in. You’ll enter into the Race all “I have no expectations, I’m perfect.” And then you’ll find yourself crying on a balcony month four wondering what’s wrong with you (hypothetically speaking, of course). It’s okay though, because regardless of when you realize you have them, it’s never to late to lay them at the foot of the Cross. He is willing and waiting to take them from you. Also, it makes for a really good blog (again, all hypothetical there).
2. You’re going to be on a spiritual high the entire 11 months. I believed being around 55 other believers all the time was going to give me this “God high” that I’ve never felt before…false. Everyone goes through different seasons throughout their lives and the Race is no different. For me, it’s actually been the opposite of a spiritual high- I feel like I’m in a spiritual desert. However, you can choose to believe the lie that you’re not “Christian” enough or you can choose to believe what you know to be true about God in light of your circumstances or how you feel. You can choose to believe that He is good regardless of how “spiritual” you may feel during the Race.
3. You’re going to experience massive spiritual growth. This is partially true; you will grow in a lot of ways and it will be amazing. The problem comes when you expect to grow in certain ways in a certain amount of time. Usually God doesn’t care about our time frames of life, He has His own agenda…relish in that. Relish in the fact that the Race is only a small 11 months out of your entire existence and we worship a God who wants to be with us for our ENTIRE lives. Beautiful.
4. You’re going to love every single ministry. I’m going to go ahead and blanket statement this and say you will NOT love every single ministry. There’s actually probably times when you’ll hate what you’re doing, but that should not affect the ministry in any way. We all know the basic principle of God’s character; sovereignty. We are lucky to have peace in the fact that He specifically placed you in this ministry for a specific purpose, and because of this we should pour ourselves out into everything the same…whether it be picking rice from a field or working with sex trafficking. He is not a God of chance. He has purpose.
5. You’re going to be busy all the time; having no time to breathe. This is a myth buster for future racers, supporters, readers…basically everyone. I love when I get emails from people along the lines of “I know you’re probably so busy…” I just laugh because there have been times when I am so bored I could pull my hair out…don’t get me wrong, there have been times when I am so completely exhausted, but that is by no means all the time. God wants us to rest. How useful would we be completely exhausted? Find comfort knowing that He knows what you need when you need it- whether that be rest or adventure.
6. You’re life is going to be completely different from what it is now. This is a huge misconception. Yes, there will be times when you’re in driving in a jeepney in Asia with a Filipino man heading to a radio station to do a broadcast and you sit back and say “is this seriously my life right now?” However, a lot of times, your life will look a lot like it does now…meeting people, making friends, going to dinner with them, and maybe talking about Jesus. I love it. It’s been teaching me so much about how to live a mission-minded life back in America. Enjoy all the times you have- there is something to be learned in every situation.
7. You’ll be sleeping in the dirt every month. Okay this one is a bit out there, but you never know. Granted, there probably will be times when you’re sleeping on rocks in your tent and horses are constantly running into it…but there will also be times when you have a bed, hot showers, and if you’re super lucky, a pool. Don’t feel bad for either one, it will be exactly what you need.
And last, but definitely not least…
8. You won’t want to go home. You will. There will be times when you have free wifi all month which means unlimited access to what people are doing at home…and it looks like they’re having so much fun. They’re not. Okay I won’t exaggerate, they might be, but what you’re doing is SO amazing. You literally get to be the hands and feet of Jesus. You get to look into the eyes of orphans and tell them they are not forgotten. You get to see the lame walk. You get to see the hungry fed. You get to see the blind see. You get to literally love the least of these. If you are ever discouraged and thinking about going home email me, Facebook me, Instagram me. SOMETHING. I am a firm believer in that fact that God knew this was 11 months when you signed up for it and He wants you to be here for the entire time. I also believe that the Enemy will use anything and everything to keep the gospel from advancing, DO NOT let that happen. Stay. Love.
