You ever have something sitting right in front of you and you don’t even notice it? Or maybe it takes someone else pointing it out for you to go “oh, I had no idea!” I had one of these moments recently.
This month in Peru we have three 19 year olds joining our team. It’s called “World Race Exposure”. It’s a program where they let people who are interested in doing the race come join a team for a month and get to live out the race for a short period of time. From community to team times all the way to receiving and giving feedback, they get the full experience.
This month is also special because it’s an all guys month. The girls are shipped off to all girls teams and us guys are allowed to do manual labor without our shirts on.. Sometimes that happens anyways.. But the point is, it’s all guys.
The first thing that I noticed whenever they showed up is the lack of information we have going into a month. Now don’t get me wrong, we have setup sheets, safety warning emails, and depending on the host, an email or two explaining what we are doing throughout the month. But sometimes, well most of the time, things change.
When these three youngsters got off the plane and joined us for the first time, the questions began to pour in. I don’t want to sound like I absolutely know nothing most of the time, but that’s how I like to keep it. It keeps me living life on the edge ready to catch the curve balls God throws at us.
They asked us what ministry would look like, what kind of food will be prepared, “if they could wash their hands because they would be in the jungle”*. The questions came in and most of the responses I had to give was “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know”. Or “I literally know as much as you know right now, please stop asking questions”.
But then that’s when I realized something. I call this the “No Idea Revelation”. What do you think the disciples thought most of the time when they were walking around with Jesus?? Jesus was constantly doing things that were against religion and culture.
John chapter 4 we find the story of the woman at the well. I’m sure you know the story but I want to look at it from the perspective of the disciples. Jesus is already sitting by the well when a woman walks up. And He ask for something to drink. But the woman, who is a Samaritan, was thrown off by Jesus’ question because it was politically incorrect for Jesus (a Jew) to even so much as be looked at or associated with a woman (a Samaritan) such as herself.
But if we look for the disciples they are off in the town buying groceries for Jesus. When they come back and find Him standing with…A SAMARITAN WOMAN!
They are blown away. Verse 27 says ” …they were amazed that He has been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do you seek?” or “Why do you speak with her?”
You see, this story is one of my favorites. I love the actual story where Jesus calls the woman out in her sin and she finds out that He is Jesus. I love that He calls Himself the Living Water. I love the ending where the woman at the end runs away and tells everyone she can find about her encounter.
I feel like I get a small taste of what the disciples felt when I walk into a new month. I don’t want to compare going into a new month with the same as walking with the living breathing Jesus.. But a lot of the times I feel like in life it’s okay to not know what’s going on. That leaves room for God to do what God does.
One thing that I’m learning and being blown away with is that God uses regular people like you and me. The disciples weren’t extraordinary people, in fact, they were people with regular jobs and regular lives but felt God literally call them to follow Him. I wonder so often how much people these days are more worried about what they are supposed to do or what the plan looks like that they miss out on walking into what God has for them.
I feel the less I know walking into a month the better. Sure I’d like to know where I’ll be sleeping and how food is being provided but there has been so many opportunities and God-stories that came out of this journey because I don’t have any expectations. I hope we can live our lives not expecting anything from God but asking God for the unexpected.
If I were to leave you with one challenge through this blog it would be this, don’t set any limitations on God. Walk into your local Walmart or get in your car and ask God to take you somewhere and see what He does. There is power in prayer and God speaks to us all of the time. It’s when we shut up and listen that we actually hear the voice of the Lord.
These three young men taught me, in that moment, that having no idea what’s going on is okay. Sometimes people ask questions and all I can say is that “I’m just waiting for God’s direction.” Actually I say.. “I have no idea”
*actual recorded question.. Not put here to make fun of but to prove the point of how much of an unknown situation they are walking into!
