This is my first proper blog in two full months. I apologize that I haven’t been as consistent with this as I would have liked. However, now I have something to say. Let’s get started…
Looking back to before launch when I was applying and was getting ready to leave I remember watching lots of World Race videos. In one particular video countless alumni racers said, “It was the toughest, and best year of my life”. My initial reaction to that statement was that they were probably wimps, or at least that I was tougher than them. Boy was that an arrogant thought, and just for the record I was very wrong.
This year has EASILY been both of those things: tougher than anything, and more rewarding than ever. I would venture to say that the normal days on the race are more difficult than most days at home. Additionally, the tough days on the race have been the toughest days of my life.
But I thank God for that. Let me explain.
Those same days, weeks, or months that were crazy difficult and full of moments where I wanted to pack up and go home because it was getting so hard; those are the days that I grew more than ever. This thing is crazy tough, every month there has been something that the Lord has walked me though, but I’m stronger on this side of struggle!
Romans 5:3-5 says what I am trying to say much better than I can.
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 ESV
This year has been so hard, but the Lord has used that to grow me more than ever! As I look back though some of my previous blogs I think this is a pattern that the Lord has been continually instilling in me: trust. Trust in him, and his goodness. Trust that when bad things happen, he has a purpose to make it into something beautiful. Trust that when we surrender to him and his purposes, we enter into where we will thrive.
Most of the race leading up to last month my view at the tough times were that they sucked, and they needed to stop. However, God has prompted me to not just accept the hard times, but to embrace them knowing that something amazing is going to come out of them!
One of the hardest times of the race for me was the first two weeks in the Dominican Republic. I was straddling a decision to push though, or give up and go home. I was very close to going home! Looking back, I am so happy that the Lord gave me the strength to push though! If I gave up the struggle would have won, and I wouldn’t have grown at all. But that didn’t happen, somehow I made it though that, and it has fostered the past 8 months of growth that I couldn’t even imagine possible!
Moral of the story, when life gives you some crap, buy a shovel and clean it up! You don’t need to do that alone. God wants to help you though, accept help from our loving Father, and those he has placed around you. The growth you will experience will be well worth the struggle!
Just push through that ISH!
