One year ago this week marks the week I first heard about The World Race. The layers to the workings of God in my life over the last year are nothing short of mind blowing. One of those layers has been placing all financial trust in God; I can remember a year ago having no clue how God would bring nearly $17,000 into the life of a fresh, broke, college grad. Through all of the doubt and lack of understanding the “how” to this “yes, I’ll go,” I said “God if you’re calling me to this, I know you will make it happen.”
Another layer to the many beautiful ways God has been at work has been through metaphors he allows to play out in my life and connect back to his greatness, much like Christ uses metaphors in the New Testament.
With that, walk with me through this week’s metaphor if you will. My fundraising process culminated yesterday morning as 4 very important people in my life came together to contribute the last $4,500 of my goal. This reality has barely begun to sink in, and I am still not even sure I am able to wrap my head around the statement “I AM FULLY FUNDED FOR MY WORLD RACE!”
The last 24 hours have been a roller coaster of emotions ranging from pure joy, and excited disbelief, to weird levels of guilt? Indebtedness? And an overall sense of undeservedness? Mixed with a lot of wait, “I’m done asking people for money?” I AM ACTUALLY GOING ON THE WORLD RACE? All back to why me? Why am I fully funded 49 days before I even leave the country, when so many squad mates are struggling? And 5 months before my final deadline?
Then I was hit with the reality that I do this with God all too often in regards to the largest, most beautiful gift you or I will ever receive: salvation. The gift that was given before I ever existed, and lasts for eternity, the support that pushes me through the darkest nights, and the love that is purer and deeper than our human minds are even capable of comprehending. And yet I still, without even knowing it, sub-consciously resist this gift! Why? Why as humans are we wired with such a propensity to feel like we owe something; to work for everything those who love us want to give us? Or maybe this is just me? The last love language on my list is gift giving/receiving. But something tells me at some level we all struggle with the ability to fully accept what Christ did on the cross for us. To accept that we are never going to be able to do anything to earn any more forgiveness or love from our Father in heaven than that which is already abundantly offered and endlessly free! We just have to receive it!
Will you receive it? The last month has been a month of God showing me what it looks like to receive. It started with receiving His love; actually receiving it. Like taking what we know about God’s love in our heads and allowing it to reach the depths of our heart. Next He has been walking me through receiving the love of other people, this has also been an incredibly beautiful process. Now, He is asking me to receive fully the gifts and support of the people contributing to my World Race. So to every family member, friend, and co-worker who has played a role in getting me to this point in preparing for my journey, I whole-heartedly say thank you. Thank you for partnering with me, thank you for playing your role in the Body of Christ, and thank you for loving me. WE DID IT TEAM!
To sum it all up, this entire process of “fundraising” has been one big metaphor for my personal experience with my salvation, maybe you can relate? Why have I been so abundantly graced in the area of fundraising? I am not entirely sure, but I am accepting it and leaning fully into it. What I can tell you is there have been other challenges and areas of growing pains that I know others have been graced with. Accepting this is key; God has designed us all so uniquely and has specific plans for this season in all of our lives. I never thought I would be able to say I am thankful for having gone through the fundraising aspect of this journey, but I am. I am thankful that with every passing day God continues to reveal more of Himself to me.
Will you give God the opportunity to enlarge your understanding of who he is? Just take the first step, what do you have to lose? The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17
How can you continue to support me? Prayer! If you are interested in being a part of my close prayer team please email me and I will add you to that email list. If you feel led to support me financially beyond my World Race fundraising goal also please reach out as there are other costs involved in making this trip happen (ie gear, spending money for on the field, etc.). Thanks again to everyone who has been a part of this process so far, but this is still just the beginning, and I am still in the states for another 7 weeks!
*My fundraising total is not yet reflected on here, but will be up to date within a couple of days*
