Why everyone's World Race looks different…mine has been way different.
We don't come on the world race with intentions of our race looking like everyone else's but it's very easy to look at someone's race and your own and expect them to look the same.
Launching in July to start off my race it looked like the norm race of a world racer but very quickly started taking its own course for sure.
In Guatemala the Lord broke down huge walls in my life and healed me from so many things from years passed… Truly healed me.
In Honduras he opened my eyes to what it truly meant to be loved by Him as not only my heavenly Father but also my Daddy.
This is also where my journey started looking different from most peoples around me. I fell off of a building and was completely fine. Then, my hand was broken while at a ministry event and the Lord healed it a week later at a church service. We always say we believe in miracles and know the Lord can heal but seeing it right before my own eyes, my own hand…. WHOA! Jesus was working in me for sure.
In Nicaragua I found myself in a place of… Well, a place of a lot of questions. This is the month that my life changed in all aspects and the month the Lord really showed himself to me through obstacles on the race.
Month 3 in Nicaragua is the month that my race became very distinct and no longer looked like anyone's. Let's just say my race took a turn for the… well, it took a turn to take me down a road and season of sickness…. But I wouldn't even label it as that. I would simply say it took a turn for the road of teaching,blessings,and the Lord taking me deeper and bringing a huge check in myself and heart.
Before I move on further in my journey I'll explain a little of what made my journey change and look so different from others. While in Nicaragua I became sick with a high fever and terrible headaches. I just couldn't seem to shake what didn't seem to be to terrible of a sickness. Two weeks into my journey there I was found unresponsive by a teammate and immediately taken to the hospital. I was admitted and kept overnight, released the next afternoon. I was doing well for a day 1/2 before the symptoms hit again with a vengeance. I was then taken to the capital of Nicaragua where I was hospitalized for 8 days. While in that hospital stay I got results that I wasn't exactly prepared for. After a CT scan I was told I had 3 tumors in my lungs. Within a few days,there was a biopsy done. We were told I needed surgery, so we then made the decision to go to the states. My squad leader and I were air vacced to NY where they did many tests, blood work and another biopsy.
Once being in NY and having all the test done, I seriously expected to be released and headed back to the field. Obviously things don't alway go the way we think they should. Doctors came in not having many answers except to tell me one of the places was actually a mass and they could see many other places on my lungs, not just the three. This wasn't exactly comforting but surprisingly I had peace. Ya know, no matter what storms come our way, it's so comforting knowing the Lord is right by our side fighting for us. I was finally released after eight days, but still had no answers.
Since being released there have been many doctors appointments and more test. One culture did return positive for acute pulmonary hystoplasmosis. Follow up X-rays showed clear. Monday there was a brain scan and spinal tap done, both returning good results. So, here we are, 1 month and two weeks from the first day I got sick and 1 day shy of a month since being back in the states. I am doing much better. I AM GOING BACK ON THE FIELD VERY SOON.
Now having that info, my race looks different due to not only being hospitalized and moved back to the states but because this is the Lord's story, not mine.
I never imagined my race looking like this but Praise God for him making His path be walked in and not my own. The Lord has a path for each of us already paved. He isn't taken by surprise when things aren't going the way we had planned. He has us each working together as a body but also individually, taking us each where He needs us to be. Your story has been beautifully written out by the Lord. Don't try to walk someone else's path or run someone else's race. Follow in the footsteps of the Lord of the race He has called you to run.
You have been created in the image of Christ to fulfill a purpose that only you can fulfill. You can't serve your purpose when you are walking in your own way or trying to run someone else's race.
Embrace who you are in the Lord. Walk in your path and calling with confidence. When obstacles come along in your race, lean on the Lord because he's there to help you jump over them. You aren't alone in your trial. Be strong and courageous. Walk in truth and faith. Answer your call. OWN IT!
You were called to run the SPECIFIC race set before YOU. RUN IT!
