When I signed up for The Worldrace I thought that I would impact people by all that I was going to do. I had a vision in my head; when I got to all these exotic nations I would truly be able to do good works because of the poverty levels. I thought that I would be able to teach developing nations things that I have learned from living in the United States. I thought that I would be well received and appreciated because of all that I had to offer…
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes there have been times that I have been able to contribute a new perspective on things, or times that I was able to help fulfill a physical need… but the overarching lesson that I’ve learned is that people don’t really want anything except for love. In the Bible it says “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8 NIV)
There have been several examples of where this has been true. While in Guatemala, I was working with 170 young Guatemalan children all day every day… I couldn’t speak the language, I didn’t have any gifts for them, and they weren’t old enough to value any of my insights. But after being there for a little over a week these children felt that they knew me. All I could give them was love. So I gave all that I had to give… I learned that these children just wanted to be played with and engaged with energy and love. I threw child after child in the air, spurred on by their laughter and giggles. Even after I got tired it was so hard to stop. They loved it and I loved doing it. With in days all these children knew my name. They also knew that if they ever wanted adventure that I would always be ready to share it with them. I felt loved by them. There was never a moment that I felt alone.
When I made all my plans for this trip I completely over looked the scripture verse in James… “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:13-17 NIV) I’ve learned that The Lord is faithful in all that He does. His plans for us are so much higher than any plans that we could ever have.
