When I left for the race, I was really worried people were going to forget me and move on.
I was easily replaceable. They’d find someone else to share a large popcorn with. Someone else to lay beside on the picnic blanket. Someone else to take on long night drives with the windows down.
I shared this concern with a few friends. Of course, the general response was an eye roll.
But this was a real fear. That people were only my friends because of convenience, because of geography. It wouldn’t be convenient anymore. I’d be halfway around the world instead of just across town. I’d slowly stop crossing people’s minds as the year stretched on. I’d come back and find I’d been forgotten and replaced.
So when I receive a simple text, “Hey Janele just wanna say I miss you and I love you” eight months into the race, my heart smiles.
There is so much weight in a few simple words. A weight that can actually lighten.
I was feeling bummy last week, and without knowing what was going on, one of my best friends sent me a message, “I really do love you and to think about how much you love Jesus makes me love you even more.”
It lifted the whole week off my shoulders. It was a reminder of the power of verbalized love. To let someone know you thought of them, that you care, simply and clearly with your words.
There’s a magic to it. Words can conjure up feelings of hope. They can encourage. They bring lift when you’re feeling heavy.
When I wasn’t there for my brother’s graduation, a friend dropped me a note, “When Jared walked across the stage, I yelled loud enough for the both of us.” It brought a smile to my face.
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thes 5:11
There’s different ways to encourage. But my practical challenge for you is to drop a simple note to someone. Let your words be a blessing.
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I’ll be extra honest, sometimes I think of dropping a note and don’t. It just seems a little extra. I just feel this sense of embarrassment that stops me. I like to love people in subtle ways, this is much too direct. They might think I’m weird or something. But that’s pretty dumb. Because whenever I get a note from someone, whether or not I’m close to them, I never think they’re weird. I always think they’re a wonderful person and for the moment they actually made me feel like I’m wonderful too. So I’m trying to be more verbal with love. And I have high hopes I’ll be able to love this way without any hesitation some day.
We are currently serving the indigenous people of Panama in the outskirts of the San Felix District. The reservation is located in the mountains, where a person can walk three days before finding the closest church. We’re helping with construction of some church buildings in the surrounding areas. This includes sanding and painting. We’ve had the joy of assisting in arts and crafts and bible lessons with indigenous children as well.
We also have the privilege of WR Exposure volunteers with us. They get to spend a month on the race as part of our teams and live life with us. They do what we do, go where we go, live like we live. It gives them a taste of the race and hopefully clarity if the World Race is for them.
