When I signed up for the World Race, there were a whole lot of unknowns. I never knew what type of ministry I would be doing, the area I would be in in each country, or who my team would be. I really didn’t know much at all about what every day on the World Race would be. I love that Adventures in Missions leaves so much open, because that way there is less expectation and more spontaneity.
I was psyched out of my mind for the World Race (still am!!!) and so with that excitement, you bet I stalked tons of blogs and social media accounts of World Racers! Seeing what they were doing got me even more hyped for the upcoming year! And I don’t regret that, because it’s fun to hear stories about what God is doing and see the adventures others get to go on! However, looking back at it now, I understand that it did give me some unrealistic expectations I didn’t even realize I had!
Often times, on social media and blogs, there is only highlights of what every day life on the race is like. There are more stories shared that are mind-boggling or miraculous than anything else! There is nothing wrong with that at all! Shoot, I want to hear every single one of those stories because God is so at work in so many areas, and that is such a beautiful thing!! He is always at work and always doing big, crazy things!! That is so incredible and those things should be shared!
While I knew that the race would be hard at times and crazy at times, I think I expected ministry to look differently. I wanted every single moment to be mind-boggling, to be life-changing. And wow, there are so many of those moments! But something I’ve been learning is that every single moment matters too, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. There is so much joy in each moment, and every moment is mind-boggling, sometimes you just have to look for it a little harder.
Like today, for example. This week in Thailand, we are staying at a church and helping them in whatever areas we can! This morning, we raked leaves and weeded the property. It’s easy for me to write that off, or to believe that something like that doesn’t matter. But it does! Every bit of it matters! In Cambodia, we did lots of different things, like painting with black oil paint that stuck to us like tar, scooping up mud to help flatten the ground under a hut, raking rocks at our ministry host’s house, or sweeping the floors of the church. They are each so simple, and so easy to write off as unimportant. It’s easy to believe the lie that you aren’t making any type of difference there.
God is opening my eyes to the fact that I am not here to “feel good” about what kind of ministry I get to be a part of or see a “difference” in the community. I am here to serve, to love, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and sometimes that means raking leaves! And if that’s what it looks like, that’s where I want to be! I don’t want to miss out on what He is doing, and I want to be present in every single moment because every single moment is good.
Every single day is such a beautiful gift, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Whether it’s raking leaves, studying for history, going to work every day, or even eating ice cream, it all matters! When I live in that truth, there is such an incredible freedom and joy that can only come from the Lord! That’s where I want to be, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good, dancing in the freedom, and celebrating all that He’s given to us! Come and dance with me!
