Everyone has certain things they focus on and value more than others. Some people really value hanging out with their friends, getting good grades, relationships, time alone, validation from others, materialistic things, or control. We all have things we subconsciously want, desire or think we need. If these things we value were taken away from us we would feel deeply saddened. If we couldn’tsee our friends again, if we failed every test or assignment in school, if we were single for an extended period of time, if we weren’t able to have our alone time, if we were never given validation, if we lost everything we owned, or if we lost all control our worlds would come crashing down.
But is this how we should live our lives?
Everyone is betting their hope on something… but is their hope alive or eating them alive? If our hope isn’t God and all he has to offer us, we are betting on the wrong things.
I have struggled with personal identity… especially leading up to this trip. I am a very confident, loud, energetic person but I also struggle with how others view me. Every decision I make I worry about what others would think. Everything I say I worry how others perceived what I said. Every action I make I worry about the thoughts of others. Not a day goes by that I don’t worry about how others perceive me. Over time I have learned that JESUS wants me to live my life only for him. He doesn’t want me to live for Susie Q or Billy Joe. He wants me to wake up everyday and embrace his presence and go about my day with confidence that he loves me and my quirky self. He loves my heart for missions because he gave it to me and he loves my highly energetic self because he gave me those traits. He put me on this journey and no matter the amount of negativity or backlash I may confront leading up to the trip, I need to rest assured that this is Gods plan. He built me perfectly how he wanted me to be and I should never doubt that or worry about how others perceive me… because it doesn’t matter. Putting my hope in the thoughts of others is saying I doubt how God has made me. I need to put my hope in JESUS Christ.
We so often put our hopes in things that don’t stand the storm.
Will others liking every decision I make bring me happiness? Yes! Will it fulfill my life completely? No.
Only Jesus can bring us joy from any circumstance and will never leave. Friends come and go, family comes and goes and people won’t always like you but JESUS is always here and he can fulfill us completely. When times get tough and everything in our lives comes crashing down, nothing on this earth will satisfy us but the love of JESUS Christ.
We are allowed to be sad when times get tough and we are allowed to wrestle in heartbreak and heartache. As Christians we will feel sad and that’s okay! It’s okay to feel the emotions that God has given us, it’s what we do with those emotions that speak to where our hope is.
When we deal with heartbreak do we jump into a relationship prematurely to feel those feelings again? Or do we try to find peace in God and reset where our heart is? When we experience hardships do we stay set in anger and heartache? Or do we reset our hearts with God to find healing? The list goes on and on.
God often uproots our dead hope for an alive one.
If you were to get lost in a scary part of town alone you wouldn’t just jump in the first car you see. That would be extremely dangerous. You would call someone you were comfortable with and find somewhere safe to wait until they get there. Maybe they would come pick you up in 5 minutes or maybe it would take an hour. But regardless of the time it took, you wouldn’t settle on the first car you saw.
This scenario can apply to a vast majority of situations in our life. When we hit rock bottom and what we put our hope in gets ripped from us, we shouldn’t jump right back into something to ease the pain or to make us happy. We should call upon our Heavenly Father to guide us back to him. Maybe it takes a day to fully understand what God wants us to learn but most likely it will take time.
In preparing for the World Race this is just one of the many things that have been pressing on my heart. Putting our hope in Christ and Christ alone is not only hard, it’s extremely hard… but it’s worth it. As I continue to prepare for my world race I am praying that I can continue to keep my hope in Christ and Christ alone. As times get tough and life becomes unclear and uncertain I pray that my hope will never waver. That I will stay steadfast on Gods love alone. When I don’t know where I am going, I will trust in God. When I don’t know what to say or do, I will trust in God. When I don’t know where I am going to sleep, I will trust in God. When I miss my family, I will trust in God. When I feel like I have made a mistake, I will trust in God. When I am unsure of everything in my life on the trip, I will trust in God and put my hope in him alone.
I will make mistakes and fail him everyday during this journey. I will fall into sin and deal with real heartache… but as long and my heart is set on him and I put my hope in him, his healing hands will be right there to catch me… and he wants to catch you too.
*WORLD RACE UPDATE*
~ Letters have been sent! Please let me know if you haven’t received one so that I can make sure it gets sent to you!
~ the t-shirt design process has taken a detour and I am currently in the process of recreating the design! Keep your eyes peeled!
~ I am still selling bracelets until the 25th of this month!! Contact me if you would like to buy some!
~ If you feel pushed to donate you click the donate bar up above! Any amount would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Thank you all for reading and supporting me in this journey! I love you all so much!
God bless!! 🙂
