I’ve been praying daily for God to prepare me – heart and mind – to do his will on my World Race. In so many ways I’m seeing His truth and His touch everywhere.
It’s been about two weeks since I returned from a trip to Italy. My sorority sister and I had been planning this trip for about a year to just get away and spend some time together after our lives went different directions following graduation. It wasn’t a mission trip, but God still used it to communicate some very important things to me and start preparing my heart for the year of travel ahead.
One of the things that we kept noticing in Italy was how far back the history goes and how every corner you turn you find another relic of a different age there to meet you. Italy (specifically Rome, but other places as well) is home to a lot of church history. I enjoyed visiting grand basilicas and hearing the stories of the saints for which they were named and the artists they inspired.
The title of this post comes from a phrase used by monks in one of the towns we passed through. It means “pray and work,” and I think that is a powerful theme for the months my team and I will be spending on mission. We must pray for God to set right the injustices in the world, but all of us have work to do that is an essential part of bringing about the restoration of God’s good creation.
As I was constantly confronted with images and architecture inspired by our faith, it hit me in a way that it never has how I am part of something so much bigger than myself. Michelangelo was inspired by the same Scriptures I read to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I went into the little Porziuncola that St. Francis built after hearing the call of God to “go and repair My house.” I visited St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where he was buried after being crucified upside down.
The faith I have is rich with 2000 years of history, and I have been preceded by great men and women that made it possible for me to even hear the gospel today. As I encountered these testimonies to their faithful witness, I felt very small. At the same time, however, I was aware that I shared something with these people who laid the bricks we continue to build upon.
As we made our way to the different cities and met many different people along the way, I was also impressed by the way the Italian people approached life. For someone who seeks to control situations and have a definite plan in place, Italians seemed so laid back. They weren’t in a hurry like I feel I usually have to be to get everything done. They encouraged us to relax and take our time. Sometimes that was hard for me.
I know this is something God was speaking to me about in many different ways before my trip, but witnessing people who actually slowed down enough to really appreciate and enjoy each moment was important for me to see. Maybe it’s because they understand how much better Parmesan cheese is when it has aged four years, but I definitely got the impression that the Italian people knew something that we still haven’t figured out: sometimes faster isn’t better; some things really are worth the wait.
I don’t want to be in such a hurry that I miss my life as it goes by. I don’t want to live with the pressure of meeting other people’s expectations. I don’t want to have more than so many people, but never rest because it still doesn’t seem to be enough.
Maybe that’s a big part of what these eleven months are supposed to be about for me. Maybe I need to spend a whole year focusing less on how to get a better job or another degree to make me feel a greater sense of security. Maybe the whole point of God calling me into this journey is to show me just how fragile our sense of security really is and to get me focused on the things He really wants my life to be about. I could be wrong, but I have a hunch I’m on to something there.
I don’t think I could ever really be ready for what I’m going to see and experience over these eleven months, but I’m getting closer along the way. So no, this wasn’t a mission trip, but God is definitely answering my prayer to prepare my heart for the things He is leading me into and the ways He wants to use me over this year of mission. (Walking long distances with a heavy backpack was probably good practice, too. Haha!) So I will keep praying that God is able to speak to me each day to put me in position to truly share His love with and serve the people to whom He’s sending me. Thank you to everyone who is praying that prayer with me as well.
