When I first decided to change routes, it was for Vietnam. My stomach leapt and twisted and danced when the option to switch became available. It was like God tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered, "Let's go to Vietnam." I had butterflies and goose bumps. My mind raced and my heart was at peace. I was going to Vietnam.
Here I sit, three and a half months later. In Vietnam.
I wake up every morning with my heart overflowing with gratitude. Approximately seventy people are the reason I get to sit in this hotel room in Vietnam and meet the sweetest people I have ever met on a daily basis. The seventy people who opened their wallets for me, gave me a whole new life. I am continually humbled and amazed by that realization.
A lot of things in Vietnam have humbled me. I'm seeing more and more every day how little the story of my faith has to do with me and how much it has to do with a Papa that pursues His little girl to the ends of the earth. I've been reading Genesis and I can't seem to get past the story of Abraham. Genesis never mentions Abram being overtly righteous when God first called him onto this whirlwind adventure called salvation. He just makes all of these promises and then says, "Follow me." (Sounds a lot like Jesus, one testament later, eh?) So Abram listens to God. And then for the next few chapters, you see one account after another of Abram half-heartedly obeying. He tells half-truths and two kingdoms almost fall apart because Abram won't just admit that Sarah is his wife instead of his sister. But the point is this, God proves His faithfulness long before Abraham showed signs of faithfulness to God.
I have such a tendency to make things about me. But the thing is, even something as simple as faith isn't about me. It's about Papa. He does the pursuing. He does the seeking, the searching, the loving. He does it all whether I show Him anything in return. Tomorrow, if I chose to leave the World Race, move back to Missouri, lose my zeal for Jesus, and live a mediocre life, God would be the same. His pursuit of me would not change. His desire for me would not change. And that is a concept that I have not yet grasped.
So instead, I try harder. I push myself further. I call myself to greatness instead of following Papa into His promises. He does the pursuing, but He will also do the leading. I need only to believe. The Word does not say, "Abraham sacrificed his son and it was counted to him as righteousness." Instead, Genesis 15:6 says, "Abram believed the Lord and it was credited to Him as righteousness." Belief comes before righteousness. Righteousness is rooted in belief. Righteousness without belief is not righteousness.
So, my prayer for you is this. That your belief would be so deeply rooted in who Christ says you are because you know that everything is about Christ. That your whole world would revolve around this man who came to earth with dirty feet and matted hair. That you would crave His presence and develop an insatiable need to hear His voice. That your identity wouldn't be found in your actions, but in your Savior. I pray this for you friends. And I ask that you pray this for me too. Because we're in this together.
Financial Update: I have exactly ONE MONTH to raise $3,880 or I will have to go home. Please, please, please pray about joining with the people who have supported me in this crazy, beautiful adventure that God has called me on. Thank you so much.
