Sitting here contemplating whether or not to actually write a blog about cereal, my friend Amanda drops some serious wisdom. She reminded me how easy it is for us to worship Jesus when surrounded by people and circumstances who also desire to worship Him. Imagine a huge stadium full of people all praising the Lord, singing, dancing, fully and freely worshipping Him, it would almost be impossible not to feel the emotion and longing to join. When things in our life are going well, exciting, and full of hope, we don’t hold back on giving Him the glory. It’s during the mundane, day to day routine that we stop seeking Him and our once hopeful spirits become less grateful. Most of us grew up hearing this principle again and again, but my time in Panama has shown me that Jesus uses the mundane moments in the most spectacular way if our heart’s posture is open and aware.
Cereal is the most mundane concept. It’s so simple, you can pour milk in it or eat it dry. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, supper, or an anytime snack. There’s hundreds of kinds, but all share the predominant ingredient of sugar. My people are obsessed with cereal. We have wonderful hosts who provide warm meals everyday that are delicious! But sometimes, we crave something junky, and our go to is eating dry cereal right outta the bag.
For this first month in Panama, there are two teams severing in the same ministry, which means all 14 of us live together, conduct outreach ministry together, have free time together, and adventure days together. That is a ton of togetherness. That is community living. That is the World Race. Being with one another 24/7 can get trying and sometimes mundane, but Jesus sees it differently. Jesus has provided this as a safe place for us to share our pasts, process our struggles and highlights daily, and dream about what’s to come. Receiving and being grateful for this community even when we’re just sitting around eating cereal straight outta the bag. Realizing it’s not mundane at all, but actually the sweetest gift, without which this journey wouldn’t be the same.
