Here is Part 2 of 11 lessons I learned in the first 111 days of the Race. Check out Part 1 if you missed it!
THE LORD WANTS TO GIVE US GOOD GIFTS.
“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
We all know those people that are “good gift givers”. They know the perfect thing that would make us smile and they make us feel seen and loved with a thoughtful, personal gift. Let me tell you something. The gifts of this world pale in comparison to the gifts that the Lord wants to give us.
The Lord is the ultimate gift giver. He sees us so clearly and knows just what we need. He delights in us and gives us gifts all the time, if we only have our eyes open to see His provision. He lavishes His love on us and knows the desire of our hearts more than we do. We need to open our hands that are clinging to our earthly desires so that we can receive bigger and better things from the Father.
We also need to shift our gratitude from the gifts to the Giver. Think of those times when you’ve said to yourself, “Wow, this is exactly what I needed.” You are KNOWN and SEEN by the Father. Look UP and be grateful for the ways the Lord cares for you and loves you.
LIFE IS MESSY.
“It’s all messy: The hair. The bed. The words. The heart. Life…”
You see the Instagram posts. You see the thought-out blog posts. The best-kept secret is: There is a lot of life that happens in between. Racers sometimes fall into the habit of showing people the best parts of the Race, me included. We portray the adventure and the edited version of our lives. The reality is, this lifestyle is not glamorous. It is messy. It is painful. It is uncomfortable. And it becomes normal. The nervous arrivals and the tearful goodbyes. The packing and unpacking. The language barriers. The money conversions. The unknown foods. The squatty potties. The sicknesses. The foreign transportation. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the emotional and spiritual battles faced on the field. Despite what social media tells you, life is messy both in the United States AND on the other side of the world. Let’s not shy away from the mess or hide it from the world. If we do, we miss out on some of the best moments of life. Jesus entered the mess of the world and wants to walk through our mess with us.
WE NEED TO APPRECIATE EDUCATION FOR THE GIFT THAT IT IS.
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.”
There are a few similarities between all of the countries we have traveled to. One thing that I have experienced is the joy and determination people have to learn. I can’t really explain it. The people we meet are intrigued, curious, determined, and hungry to learn, no matter what sacrifice they have to make. Men, women, and children of all ages want to learn. They want to hear about our country, our testimonies, our lives, our families, our jobs at home, and of course, English. (On a side note, everyone who is reading this blog right now should stop and thank the Lord that you can read English, because we forget how insanely privileged we are to have English as our first language. English comprehension is a gift that so many people want but will never have.) We need to stop being scared of the things that make us different, and start being a culture that desires to learn and gain perspective.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEAK TO SHARE JESUS.
“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”
Let me tell you a story about Nhor. Nhor is the man who drives us to ministry every day in the back of his pickup truck in Cambodia. He speaks little English, but you will never see him without a big smile on his face. He is faithful in driving us wherever our team needs to go, and he brings us treats like fresh watermelon.
Nhor was not a believer and he never wanted to have a conversation about Christianity…until we showed up. A few days after we arrived in Kampong Thom, our host told us that Nhor wanted to believe in Jesus. His reason? He saw how we interacted with each other, and how we spent time teaching English and having fun. He wanted what we had and he wanted his family to experience the same thing. We couldn’t have a conversation about our faith because of the language barrier, but we could SHOW how our relationship with the Lord changed the way we lived. As my teammate Brittany said*, “We didn’t do anything special. In fact we didn’t do anything at all. We just demonstrated what Kingdom looks like and gave away the Father’s love in the process.” We have a new brother in Christ! Remember that our actions can share Jesus just as loudly as words.
SCARS AND TRIALS ARE GOOD.
“Contrary to what we usually believe, the best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times…the best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
I’ve gotten a lot of scars on the Race. I also tend to be a person that will avoid pain at all costs. The Lord has changed my view on pain. Scars remind us where we came from. Scars remind us of the Lord’s faithfulness to bring us through trials. Scars remind us that the Lord heals. I believe that scars and trials are good. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Joy? Really? When we enter into trials with the desire to get out of them as soon as possible, we put ourselves in survival mode, and we miss out on the learning and growing that comes through pain. But when our goal is to grow in the knowledge of God and be transformed into His likeness, we can succeed in the midst of trials. Trials are joy when God is the goal.
HEROISM LOOKS LIKE GOING BACK.
“And the crux of the hero’s journey is this: the decision to return and serve. That’s the real test of heroism.”
As I said before, there are a few common themes that occur as we travel from month to month, country to country. One thing has stood out to me: Every one of our ministry hosts returned home to continue their ministry. They remember where they came from. They remember their humble beginnings. I think its contrary to the American dream. Parents want their children to have a better life than they did, and they send them to bigger and better places to pursue bigger and better things. We need to remember where we came from. We need to mentor the next generation – don’t keep the life lessons you learned to yourself. Look out for people. We need to teach the next generation – Don’t keep the knowledge you attained to yourself. We need to give hope to the next generation – we need to encourage them to DREAM. These are visionary people. They want better for everyone they meet and the world around them. I have literally seen their dreams transform lives and entire communities. Let’s be those people.
Update! We will be heading to South Africa next week! Cambodia blog coming soon!
Check out Brittany’s blog here!
My talented teammate Anna-Bonita has made a highlight video for each of the countries we have been to so far. Click on the links below and enjoy!
