During my seven days of travel to Vietnam, I have been reflecting on all that God has taught me during the first three months of the World Race:
1- Even if I don’t “feel” God’s presence around me, He is ALWAYS right there beside me. I can talk to Him at all times. I don’t have to be in a time of prayer to trust that He’s right there listening.
2- Toilet paper is not as common overseas. I always have a pack of baby wipes with me now.
3- God can speak in so many different ways. Don’t limit God or put Him in a box.
4- Leadership doesn’t mean you’re the loudest, most outgoing, and authoritative person in the room. Instead, Jesus showed leadership by always putting Himself last, serving others, humbling Himself, and pointing out people’s strengths to allow them to step up and lead.
5- In The United States, we’re really underestimating how many people can fit in one car. Last month, we fit 25 people in a 15 passenger van.
6- Giving honest feedback with love really does strengthen friendships/relationships (this can be tough for me, but it’s so worth it).
7- Comparison can be hard, but if you really believe God made each of us uniquely and for a specific purpose, it’s pointless to compare your life to another person’s life. You’re not made to be someone other than YOU. Trust that God has you on a specific path and that it’s a GOOD path. Don’t run from this path and try to take control of your own life plans. God knows best.
8- Giving genuinely does bring more joy than receiving. I learned this from my host, Bob, from El Salvador. He constantly gives everything he has to his orphanage and God had blessed him tremendously.
9- Gratefulness definitely realigns the heart. If you’re feeling ungrateful or stuck in a negative mood, start thinking about all the things in life you’re grateful for and thanking God for them.
10- The same goes for if you’re feeling down about yourself. Start speaking positive affirmations out loud over yourself and you’ll start feeling better. If you’re constantly saying, “Ugh I suck at this, I’m dumb”, then that is what you will believe about yourself. Now, if I catch myself getting stuck in a rut of negative emotions, I’ll speak truth over myself about who God says I am. My favorites are: “I’m enough”, “I’m more than enough”, “I’m a child of God”, “I’m a co-heir with Christ”, “I’m a child of the most high King”. Try it some time!
11- Growing deeper in my relationship with the Lord has shown me just how weak I am in my flesh. I desperately need God because He is the One who knows what is best for me. Think about it like this: if you designed and built some type of machine, you would know how it works best. You wouldn’t give control over to the machine when you’re the one who designed it. The same goes for us and God. He created us so He knows how we work/live best. Surrender it all to a Him. He is made strong in our weakness.
12- In Vietnam when crossing the street, there’s only a 50/50 chance you’ll make it to the other side alive. 10 million motorbikes. Screaming as crossing can help.
13- God rewards your faithfulness to Him. Even if you don’t feel like you’re growing, hearing from Him, etc, continue to press in to Him. He doesn’t waste any season of life and is always helping us to know Him more, even if we don’t understand what He’s doing at the time.
14- The Lord can REALLY work through us if we are just still. I learned this while doing ministry at the home for adults with disabilities in Honduras.
15- Truly knowing and living in your identity in Christ changes everything.
