A huge revelation occurred during month 3 while my team was in Laos. We had been invited to stay at a drug rehab center for a couple of days to build relationships with the occupants. Turns out they had a pretty nice soccer field on the premises, which was something I honed in on rather immediately. Some backstory is needed at this point; soccer has been a strangely prominent part of my race so far.
During training camp back in January while in Thailand, we played some soccer as a squad, and during our ministry in Thailand we played some soccer while doing slums ministry. Even in Cambodia we played a fair amount of soccer, even if it was just kicking a soccer ball around. And even while in Laos soccer continued to come up. The family who is in charge of the resort that we partnered with in Laos invited us to play a soccer game with a local village team, and though it was deathly hot, I LOVED it. Now, while still in Laos but at a drug rehab center, I was met yet again with an opportunity to play soccer. During our village soccer game earlier in the month I hurt my knee so I ended up not playing in the soccer game at the rehab center, but that’s besides the point. One afternoon, while at the rehab center, I decided to spend some time alone and walked along the outskirts of the soccer field there and spent some time in prayer. My thoughts kept coming back over and over again to the soccer field, and the fact that it keeps showing up in each month, and at each ministry site that we stay at. I acknowledged my desire to play soccer, and ran through the plethora of memories I have of playing soccer while growing up. It’s important to mention that while growing up, soccer was a huge part of my childhood. I started playing around age three, and played competitively up until I started high school. So while walking around this soccer field, at this rehab center in Laos, I asked God why soccer keeps popping up and why my thoughts were so focused on it. After a few moments, God began to speak, and it was so uplifting. With anyone who has played soccer with me, or has watched me play, I’m a very assertive and confident soccer player. I’m not saying that I’m a good soccer player, that’s quite different, but I am confident in my playing soccer. God continued revealing. While playing soccer I am a huge encourager to my team. No matter where I am on the field, I love shouting to my teammates words of encouragement and to lift them up and support them especially if they accidentally mess up, give the ball away, or miss a goal, etc. and to encourage them to keep playing hard and keep their chin up. While playing soccer, it’s clear in my mind as to what needs to happen, and I find myself able to zero-in on the purpose at hand and work with my team to score goals, and defend against the opposing team from scoring on us. This is when it hit me, God then revealed to me that who I am while playing soccer is who He is calling me to be all the time. Boom. Hit me square between the eyes. I was filled with inexplicable peace as this fresh truth began to sink in, and joy rushed in and consumed me. That is what God has been trying to get through to me all this time. That is who he desires me to be, who He designed me to be as Chris White. As Jesus-followers we are on the same team in this epic battle taking place in the spiritual realm (Eph. 6:12), and it’s imperative that we are able to zero-in on the purpose at hand, and to encourage each other to continue fighting, to spread grace extravagantly, and push others closer to Jesus.
