Ok, so this is the post where I promise you that I’m not on vacation, but our accommodations are awesome and we’ve gotten to do some pretty cool sightseeing.
I have to be honest when I say that our accommodations have been such a blessing. We have beds, indoor plumbing, warm water, meals prepared for us, etc. Last post, I mentioned that there was another group of young people here from AIM with the Ambassadors program, led by two World Race alumnae (shout out to Danielle and Chelsea!). During our time together, we had the opportunity to talk to these gals about their Race experience, and Danielle told us that this setup was far nicer than anything she ever saw on her Race (gulp).
Having food prepared for us – rice, pasta, pork from the pigs on the farm, homemade goat cheese, fresh veggies, fresh bread, homemade yogurt – is really nice. So far we haven’t had anything that still was moving or had eyeballs in it. After the pig castrations we questioned the meatballs for a couple of days, but nobody died, so it must have been ok. But in all seriousness, the Lord knew what He was doing when He gave us such a great setup.
For a while, I felt guilty receiving such a blessing. Here I am, on the World Race, asking other people to pay for me to live for a year (which is hard enough in and of itself), expecting to be living in a state of perpetual poverty, and hearing impressive tales about what Racers have survived in the past, but I’m living like a king. At first it didn’t seem right – who am I to deserve such an awesome blessing? That’s when I realized the truth – this is where God has us right now; we are serving His kingdom in Lezhe, and He has placed us in this situation.
How often do I feel unworthy of the blessings that God has chosen to bestow upon me? Scripture says that all have fallen short, so why do I think that I still have to earn God’s blessing? Why can’t I accept that He has blessed me in order to benefit His kingdom in some way?
Instead of feeling guilty and trying to make myself feel like I have earned His blessings, I choose to accept His blessings with eternal gratitude, and seek His will in how I ought to leverage my blessings to benefit His Kingdom.
