Why am I going on the World Race?
Let me rephrase that.
Why am I putting my life on pause so I can live completely outside of my comfort zone for nine months? Good question.
First and foremost, it’s because I want to bring the gospel to all peoples and nations. This has mattered quite deeply to me for a while now. Honestly, I believe it’s the purpose of life. People are dying e v e r y d a y without ever getting to meet their Savior, the light of the world, the joy of life, the person who determines whether they go to heaven or hell. That’s a heavy thing. And with that in mind, along with all of the times in the Bible Jesus said to go out and make disciples, I cannot ignore it – I have to do something. So, here I am, following God to Thailand, India, and Costa Rica.
Now, I’m not saying getting up and moving overseas is the only way to follow this command. There are many ways to bring Him glory here in America too. But what I have realized is that Jesus is as accessible to people in the United States as Starbucks, and there’s one of those on what seems like every street corner. The gospel just doesn’t feel like an urgent matter here, as sad as that is. And while I’ve loved having the opportunity to share the gospel with friends, strangers, and the amazing people I’ve met on the side of the streets, I never stop feeling like God is calling me elsewhere. So in uprooting myself from this culture and going on the World Race, I’ll get to share Jesus with people who have probably never even heard His name.
Furthermore, the World Race is a perfect taste of the life I want to pursue. Crazy as it may sound, my dream is to live someplace far from privileged doing work in full-time ministry. Whether I end up running an orphanage in Africa, traveling to completely unreached people groups, or leading a church who knows where, I think the World Race is a perfect exercise for the kind of trust it will take to blindly step out and follow Him.
But why now? Well, although taking a gap year may be out of the ordinary, I feel like the time between high school and college is perfect for this adventure. Now of all times is such a pivotal period in my growth as a person, and I want to expand my horizons as much as possible before I narrow in on what I want to do for the rest of my life. The World Race will introduce me to places, people, and cultures that I haven’t even slightly exposed myself to. There is so much to see in the world, and I feel like going out and living in it is just as informative, if not WAY MORE informative, than sitting in a classroom and learning about it. That being said, I still think education is invaluable, so I fully intend to go to college after the World Race. But I think this experience will enlighten me and transform me in ways that nothing else could.
Now, I wrote a whole blog post about this next reason, (check it out https://claireburton.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-difference ), but it’s an extremely important piece of who I am and what I choose to do, so I’m going to touch on it again. I just love to be different. The thought of living a life that fits perfectly into a cookie cutter, predictable life, for some reason, terrifies me. I just don’t want my story to be like anyone else’s – I want to be extraordinary. And the World Race is just that: extraordinary.
The more I’ve prayed about it and the more I’ve talked to my family (shoutout to the most encouraging and empowering support group I could ever ask for), the more impossible it is for me to imagine NOT going! Since I first discovered the World Race sophomore year, God has only given me more confidence that this is what I’m meant to do. He affirmed this calling SO CLEARLY, especially when He raised me $15,000 in less than 4 months!!! I won’t stop praising Him for that, sorry it’s just too awesome. THANK YOU LORD, and thank you friends and family!
Ok so I know this post is so long already, but here are more reasons I can’t forget to mention:
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My relationship with the Lord is going to SOAR.
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I’ll get 45 God-loving, incredible people to call family.
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I’ll have 9 months to travel and explore this big beautiful world!
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I’ll get to step away from school for a bit, which will feel so good after 12 years of hard work (and right before 4 years of more hard work).
Just some cool things, no big deal. (DKFJAEKDFJAIOHJKHJH I CAN’T EVEN PRETEND I’M NOT JUMPING UP AND DOWN WRITING ALL OF THESE). Sooo yeah, I could expand on all of these reasons for days, but I need to shut up at some point hahaha! That will be all for today my people. Thank you all for reading this and supporting me! It means the world 🙂
Loving you close,
Claire
