The race has been full of ups and down but every second of it has been worth it. Long distance relationships are hard and being on the field can be even harder. Zach and I have both loved being on the field and pursuing God this year. Here is a little glimpse of his perspective of our long distance relationship from the field.
11 months right? Try 13 months. 13 months of little to no talking, 13 months of barely seeing each other, and 13 months of being away from each other. 13 months total on the world race is what me and Heather signed up for. I’ll save everyone the long and complicated story and get straight to the point, 13 months is a long time and it’s been hard.
At the beginning when she left I didn’t think it’d be too hard, we’re both already leaving home for 11, so what’s another 2 more? Then I left 2 months after she did and those 2 months were rough. It was a rough time period in my life in general and it also hit me that I wouldn’t see her for 13 months. Before she left we talked about how it would look for us, neither one of us wanted to be a distraction while we were chasing after the Lord. Heather had an amazing firm foundation with the Lord, but I didn’t so I was worried about that.
We both told each other that we would be honest and tell one another if we became a distraction in growing our faith separately. We agreed upon a few other things, so we would leave being on the same page. Then she called me before her second month with news that I didn’t know how to take at first. She told me,
“I think we should fast from each other.”
I didn’t like the idea at first but I sure as heck wasn’t going to argue with God! Little did I know that before month 4 God would tell me the same thing, fast from Heather.
2 months from fasting from each other actually lead to some pretty good points from God, funny how God works right? Either way we’re 9 months in with 4 left, we’re in the home stretch of seeing each other and you think it’d be easier. We’ve both had our good times and bad times individually and with each other on the race.
When I say “each other” I don’t mean fighting, I mean in terms of missing each other to the point where that’s all we can think about. We’ve both been blessed with a community to help hold us accountable when these times hit. We both also recognize that our relationship with the Lord should always come first before one another. Something that has taken me a while to learn but I’m getting there.
So yes, 13 months is a very long time. But we have both grown so much within each other and also, more importantly, within the Lord. He’s taught me ways to be a better spiritual leader for her, even through all the mistakes I’ve made. And He’s taught her ways to better our future as well. We’ve come through our mistakes, some we’re still working through, but the race has helped tremendously. Who knew being apart from each other for 13 months would actually help our relationship? We were both willing to abandon each other and give one another up to the Lord, and it’s turned out to be the greatest and yet the hardest thing we’ve ever done. PEACE
Zach
