Thailand was our half way point. Since February 14th, I have officially been on the field for 5 1/2 months. Crazy, I know. I find it hard to believe myself. You actually have to search for “I squad” on the World Race website because we’re no longer that “just launched” squad, our alumni squad leaders left us a month ago, and we’re beginning to get emails about flights back to the states. It’s true… This journey to 11 countries in 11 months actually comes to an end.
We’ve met a lot of different missionary families this month. And each of them have spent a lot of time getting to know each of us individually, which I’ve been super grateful for. Whether it’s girls nights with Julie, one on ones with Sharon, coffee dates with Amy, or family dinners at Joel and Amy’s house… There’s one question they’ve all asked us. What has the World Race been teaching you?
So I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and it’s made me realize just how much the World Race has, in fact, taught me the past 5 1/2 seemingly long, but painfully short months. I used to think the race wasn’t changing me at all. Ummm, biggest lie I’ve ever told.
So here they are… 11 lessons for 11 months.
- God provides everything you need in His exact and perfect timing. I’ve recognized this in my life for years, but not to this extent. When you see a number like $16,254 on your support account and realize you only have a few short months to raise it in, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the extravagance of that number. But, when you see God bring complete strangers into your life who want to support you; when you see God give your friends and family a huge heart for what you’re doing; and when you see God provide in the most unexpected ways, you’re suddenly overwhelmed by his greatness and faithfulness instead. That number all the sudden looks insignificant. I hope I never “pull an Israel”, and forget how God provided throughout this journey. Not just financially, but in support and encouragement when I desperately needed it.
- Your identity and image is in Christ. It’s very easy to believe the lies of this world. The lies of satan. Sometimes without even realizing it. It’s hard to truly love others, and share Jesus until you are 100% confident in who you are in Christ. Until you fully believe this and understand this, comparison will quickly creep in. Comparison truly is the thief of joy… I’ve experienced it first hand for years. You will get depressed, hateful, bitter and frustrated with yourself. Until you fully know and fully believe the truths God says about you, you will always be striving after things that will never satisfy. Part of our biggest battle is the battle of our own mind. Take each thought captive, and don’t let satan fuel your thoughts with lies. A heart at rest comes from knowing who you are in Christ, and that is something I’m still learning to this day.
- Living in abundance. We all hear this… “sharing is caring,” but when it comes down to it most of us like our “stuff”. Usually it’s not second nature to just give someone some of that jar of peanut butter you just bought or let them borrow one of a few shirts you own. But the World Race has taught me to genuinely give… not in a restrictive “I don’t really wanna be doing this, but I know it’s the right thing” kind of attitude, but in a “of course you can, please don’t hesitate to ask” kind of attitude.
- You have authority and power in Jesus’ name. It’s your choice to use the authority you’ve been given. This life we live is not a battle between flesh and blood, it’s a battle between the spiritual forces. Satan is very much real and so are demons. The reality is, he has a dominant strong hold on many places around the world because people have given him that dominance. And he is not happy that we’re coming into these places and declaring Jesus’ presence and authority over them. He is not happy that we are taking these dark places for God’s Kingdom. And he will attack, but you can defeat him with Jesus. Satan has no place in your life in the form of fear, guilt, blame, insecurity. So don’t give him the authority to stay there. The longer he stays, the stronger he gets. Prayer is a powerful tool. More powerful than most people realize. Fight him with prayer; bold powerful prayer in Jesus name. Memorize scripture, and recognize the lies satan attacks you with. He’s smart, but he’s not creative. Understand where you stand against Satan. As a believer, you are right by Jesus. Not below, but beside Him fighting alongside. That also means you rule above Satan.
- Learning to really love people the way they are and where they’re at in life. That includes their flaws. In the states, if you don’t like someone or if you don’t get along with them, you have the choice to leave them. Back home, I often found myself doing this with boyfriends and friends on a regular basis. On the race, you don’t have that choice. You’re given your team. If you have a problem with a teammate, you don’t get to walk away. You have to fight for your team with healthy communication and feedback. The World Race has taught me that you can do this with almost anyone in your life if there’s a mutual effort.
- Living healthy, both mentally and physically. This includes eating well, working out, and waking up early to give God your time. God deserves your time. And He deserves you taking care of yourself. It’s a challenge on the race, but well worth it. It’s taught me discipline, and the ability to say no to the temptations around me. As soon as I stop waking up early to spend time with God, as soon as I stop eating the foods I know are good for me, and as soon as I stop working out, I notice a significant difference in my all around attitude towards my day and on life in general. You have to build a personal background of intimacy with God. It doesn’t just show up one day, you have to work for it. It takes time, but I’ll tell you right now, it’s 100% worth the pursuit. I want to be a good steward of the life and body God has given me.
- God is the only consistent thing you’ll ever have. You’re in a constant state of change on the race. Your living conditions are constantly changing. Countries change, languages change, food changes, currencies change, routines change. Even the one thing that seems stable can change, your team. In the states it’s so easy to cling to comforts like clothes, family, living conditions, friends, social media, beauty. It makes you truly realize how fleeting all those things are; how temporary all of it is. The only thing that is truly consistent, never changing, and always comforting is God. He is not fleeting, He is not temporary, He is eternal. Eternal.
- How little I need to actually survive. I live out of a 50 liter pack. Half the time I find myself going through it and looking for the next thing I can put on the “free table.” I need next to nothing to live a rich life full of abundant joy. It took me several months to come to terms with not having much, but once I did, the freedom I received in that was incredible. My happiness does not attach itself to the “stuff” I have, or the way I look, but the depths of the relationships I have with others and God.
- Love is a choice. It’s very easy to go through the race and be uninvested. It’s very easy to go through life and be uninvested. What’s the point if that’s the way you live? I don’t want to live life uninvested because I’m afraid of the pain love might bring. Love is worth it. As disciples of Christ, we are called to a life of loving others the way Christ loves us. Not a shallow love, but a deeply invested, sacrificial love. Even when it hurts. Even when you know you’ll be leaving.
- There’s always a bigger picture. You might find yourself doing things you wouldn’t have chosen to do on your own. It might leave you bitter and frustrated, but if you ask God to give you His eyes, you will quickly see there’s a purpose. There’s a bigger picture that you’re not seeing. You can chose to go through the race frustrated that you’re not doing the ministries you want to be doing or you can chose to open your eyes to all the things God is doing right where you’re at. Through you. The most important thing is to continue to say “yes.” You may never see the fruits, but there’s no doubt He’s using you to make an impact.
- As a believer you have the Holy Spirit living within you the moment you accept Jesus as your savior. The Holy Spirit does speak to you and He does guide you. It looks different with each person, and you have to figure out what it looks like for you. Don’t compare that to the people around you. God connects with each person differently, and He loves you so much that He’s going to connect with you in the exact way that works for you. It’s your decision to listen or not. With the Holy Spirit living within you, you also carry His presence. In these dark places, people literally feel a shift in the atmosphere when you’re around. Often, they don’t realize what it is, but they know there is something different about you. You’re a Kingdom bringer. You step on a campus that’s never seen the light of Jesus? They will feel something different. Trust me, I didn’t believe it myself until I saw it first hand. Don’t underestimate that. That, in itself, has more of an impact than you think it does.
Yes, I say I’ve learned these lessons, and I’d like to say I’ll never struggle with any of them ever again. Truth is? The struggles don’t end. In Nicaragua I thought I had tackled the identity crisis. And here I am in Thailand, three months later, and it pops up again. In fact, many of these I’ve struggled with multiple times throughout my life. I find it to be this roller coaster, and sometimes I wonder if the roller coaster ever ends. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe God brings these things back up to continue refining, to continue breaking down walls. But thank God for His grace. His never ending abundant grace in my life. In the end, I know He’s never going to leave me or forsake me. His faithfulness will never change.
God continuously puts me in circumstances that stretch me out of my comfort zone in one form or another. There’s a lot of time left on this 11 month journey, but one thing I know for certain is the World Race isn’t just this adventure you go on for 11 months. It prepares you for how you’ll live the rest of your life. God uses it as a means to mold you into the person He’s created you to be. He can use a lot of circumstances to do it, but for me it’s been through this journey.
This journey called the World Race.
