One of the things I have come to realize while being on the race is that comfort isn’t a part of life; it is a perk of life. It’s not normal to have running water, electricity, a toilet you can sit on, starbucks every couple of weeks, a closet full of clothes to choose from, or a refrigerator jam-packed with food. My whole life I have never had to worry about any of these things. I’ve always had running water and electricity—it never crossed my mind that there were people out there who didn’t. I never would have described myself as privileged to enjoy a starbucks every once in a while, or advantaged to have a car to get around, I always considered myself pretty normal.
But the truth is that none of this is normal; it isn’t typical. The first thing that you have to do in order to realize this is to accept the fact that whatever is normal or typical for America is not consistent with the rest of the world. We, as Americans, live a life of perks on an everyday basis that we assume is nothing exceptional, when in reality, it is completely exceptional.
At home, brushing my teeth was an inconvenience because I had to get off the couch and walk to the bathroom; on the race, I have to fill up a water bottle with purified water and go outside so I can brush my teeth and rinse my mouth over a bush. At home, going to the store was an inconvenience because I had to walk across the parking lot to my car and drive five minutes down the road; on the race, I have to find someone who speaks English, ask where the store is and how to get there, and find the correct bus. At home, taking a shower meant walking to the bathroom and waiting two seconds for the water to get warm; on the race, I walk to the well, pump a bucket full of water, carry it to the bathroom, and “shower.” At home, I go to my desk to use the internet; on the race I search the city for the cheapest internet café which usually takes an hour to access my email account.
The perks that I so casually accepted as normal back at home, have completely disappeared since being on the race. There is no such thing as “convenience”—pretty much everything takes a good deal of effort and time to accomplish. For example, when’s the last time you carried toilet paper around town with you just in case you had to go to the bathroom while you were out? And even more, when’s the last time you had to carry your used tissue with you out of the bathroom until you found a trash can? …that’s what I thought.
But let me ask you some other questions… when’s the last time you held a little orphan boy in your arms? When’s the last time you climbed a mountain in Cambodia? When’s the last time a young woman cried in thanksgiving because you spent the last 3 weeks with her? When was the last time that you ministered to young women forced into prostitution at the age of twelve?
I’ve had to give up a lot of things to come here on the race. I’m missing out on holidays and birthdays, friend’s graduations, and weddings, being surrounded by my closest friends and family, but in return I am getting so much more. It is only two months into this thing, but I am looking forward to the next nine. I am looking forward to all that God has in store… inconveniences included.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
Matthew 19:29
