When I was at training camp for the Worldrace I was told to let go of all expectations and just let God lead for the next 11 months.
Every fiber in my being called out for me to stick to this with all my heart. But, it’s impossible to leave everything off. I mean, if you think about traveling to 11 different countries in 11 months you automatically start to have expectations.
One thing that I can say in complete honesty to anyone trying to wrap their mind around the Worldrace… “It’s not at all what you think it is!”
I thought that this experience would push me to my limit physically, then when I hit a wall emotionally God would come in and push me to the edge spiritually. This is all true… But in a completely different way than I could have ever imagined.
In the first three months of the Worldrace I was challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But it was never to my limit. I knew that no matter how hard it got it could always get worse. I realized that because I wasn’t all the way “IN” things weren’t impacting me as much as they could.
Then month five rolled around… we were in Cambodia and it hit me… this whole mission trip is not just an 11 month journey. I recognized that this is a lifestyle. I made the decision to live like this even after the Worldrace. I saw that for God to truly use me, I desperately need to love like there is no end to this trip. I must to care for each child like there is no other child on the planet. I have to love each teammate like they are the most important friend that I could ever have. I need to live like there there is no tomorrow.
This changed everything in me. I began to see that in the end, no matter what I do in life, there is a bigger plan all around me than just my own. I realized that there is no end.
It is crazy to think that when we truly live for the things that God has called us to there is never really a conclusion… rather just a start. I can see the day that I started on my journey with God… But I hope to never see the end.
Paul understood this very well. When he wrote to the Philippians he said “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed of The Gospel, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, wether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21)
Because I am so committed to living with the same mindset as Paul, I feel that there will never really be an end to my love. There will never be an end to missions. There will never be an end to my story… because I realize that my story is already over… I am now living God’s story. I am now living for a Kingdom that I cannot see, but oh I can feel it. I’m living in Heaven…
