The Hollywood sign off in the far distance behind me as I race further and higher away. The west coast in the jet wash of the plane. What does all this mean? No more America. No more United States of America. Well at least for nine months. My squad, team and I are heading into our third month on the race. We have been out of America for 2 months but it has not necessarily felt like it. We all knew that we would have a layover in L.A. before heading to Asia. I think that gave us (me) comfort and that all the “third world”/ “developing world” things would be temporary. But now, right now, I sit on this plane headed to the Philippines and 9 months far, far way from home (America/ Texas); it sets in that I am now in this thing for the long haul. I don’t say that as a means to wait out a storm but solely as I recognize it and as I reflect on the first two months. The first two months were great, difficult/ insert a barrage of random adjectives and superlatives. I realize though, that I have not been diving into what the Race could offer because I would choose to get wifi when possible, even if it meant walking 30 minutes both ways just to get it (well that actually helped me not to get wifi but I think you see the point) but I would choose to go to the cafe in Guatemala because it had wifi and really good coffee and donuts. I have noticed that I would choose to do things that made me feel comfortable and safe. Yes, coffee shops, Facebook, and a donut can make you feel safe and give you a sense of the comfort of home. I feel like right now and for the next 9 months is the time to see what the race is about but more importantly what I am about. I will officially be overseas (you know, no longer attached to the North American continent). I will officially have to learn to live with what is on my back, which by the way has gotten 12 Liters smaller and over 20lbs lighter.
My hope and prayer is that I do not continually find and do what is comfortable, but take steps and learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.
I have been learning that I put so much value in being comfortable. I am willing pay to (some times more than I should) to have air conditioning, so that my place is cold. I take comfort in having a lot of options in my clothing. I take pride and comfort in options, even though I don’t always like making decisions. Kind of a catch .22. I like to eat the foods I like and usually I am very reluctant to try something new. With food that is… I have even been know to say, ” why should I? When I can go eat something I know I like!” I take solace and comfort in how easy and accessible things are back home. I never really have to think twice about things. I just do them because I know I can and I can relatively afford it. That attitude on the Race comes at a price. It comes at the price of not taking advantage of what this year could be. If I continue to live my life in comfort, I will come back at the end of the Race and say, “I went to a lot of great places and I got to see the world.” What you don’t hear in that statement is that I experienced the world. That I ate this exotic food or that I did this once in a life time thing or that I made the most incredible relationship with a homeless person or that I randomly approached someone and prayed for them. I will have spent a lot of time and money, given by so many generous supporters, and only come back with stories of seeing the world and oh yea talked about Jesus here there.
Comfort is not always a bad thing. I don’t think air conditioning is a terrible thing nor do I think options are a terrible thing. What I do think and what I have been learning is that when we (I) begin to ignore the world around us because of our (my) comfort zone, I think that’s a bad thing. Why? Because as Christians were have been called to an exciting life of adventure and the unknown, as long as we choose to listen and follow God’s voice. Ephesians 4:1. If you watched the new World Race video, Seth Barnes talks about a whisper. (You should watch that video if you haven’t! It is in a blog I posted earlier) That whisper is God’s voice and it is my choice/ your choice to follow it. I bet there are a lot of times that whisper, that voice will tell us to do something outside of our comfort zones. I know for me personally this is true. There are times I feel that I should go say hi to this person or say this to that person; but I don’t because I feel awkward and that I could be judged for it. So I don’t do it. I stay in my comfort zone and ignore the whisper.
See my comfort zone is defined by what other people think of me. I allow the feeling awkwardness and rejection to stop me from listening to the whisper. That almost happened with the Race. I almost decided to ignore the whisper to go on the Race because I was fearful of what my family and friends and work would think.
What would it look like if I began to listen to the whisper and actually do what it says? How different could my life look? Would I grow more with God? Would I learn more about my limits? Where could it take me?
I don’t know the answers to any of these questions. I have some feelings about some of them but nothing that seems like an absolute answer. This my hope for months 3-11 on the Race. That I everyday make a conscious effort to listen to the whisper and do what it says no matter how far outside my comfort zone. I want to this not to be able to say what I did but look back and see the Work God did.
Because so far listening to voice has had me in the mountains of Guatemala and Nicaragua. It has allowed me to a half dozen people healed and a couple of deliverances. Right now, it me on a plane going to my third country in 3 months and I want to see where else it could take me and the people I could meet if I chose to listen, follow, and do.
