Talk to any World Racer and you would hear them tell you that they “answered the call” to missions or to the Race. I know I have said it a million and one times to many different people. Talk to any believer, really, and at some point in their life they would tell you that they felt God calling them to something. It’s a fairly common metaphor for doing what God asks of us as believers. We feel the tug of the heart, God reveals it to us in prayer/meditation, over time, and in many other ways. Sometimes we’re reluctant to pick up the phone and answer the call, or sometimes our answer is a flat out “no”. But often times, especially for myself, there’s static on the line that distorts what God may be saying or calling us to do, even when I am quick and willing to follow.
Static, I’ve seen, comes in many different forms. It’s our selfish desires that distort what God says or calls us to do so it can be a better fit in our lives or make ourselves comfortable. It’s sin in our life that we haven’t faced yet or moved on from that gets in the way of hearing what God wants of us. It’s outside influences that can disrupt the line if we let it. And the list goes on. I’m sure you can fill in the blank of how or why your call from God has had static in it.
Static, I think, can be even more dangerous than flat out saying no or ignoring the call. In order to say no or ignore something, you first have to acknowledge or somewhat understand what you are saying no to or ignoring. Static is more dangerous because we answer with eager hearts, somewhat blocked-off hearts, biased hearts, selfish hearts, etc. and we let it get in the way of what God is trying to teach us or call us to do. It’s dangerous because if we don’t recognize that there’s static, we could potentially miss out on what God might be calling us to or we end up in a situation where the call is a harsh lesson. But thankfully we have an all powerful, loving, gracious, Father who can work despite the static or choices we make in our lives.
God works despite the static. The static we have, for whatever reason, can be seen as altering or getting in the way of God’s will for our lives. But one of the most beautiful and wondrous things about our Father is that He has this ability to use whatever situation or choice we make and use it for His kingdom and make it into something beautiful, even if it wasn’t apart of the original plan.
In my life, unfortunately, there has been static. Static within my relationships, static in my walk with God, and static with the World Race. This static, this space in my life where I didn’t know God was there, caused me to chose a route on the race, I see now, prematurely. I never realized the passions I had for politics, refugees, and certain foreign countries could be from God, of God, or that God could work through those passions and use it for His kingdom. Those passions could be used on the race or even be related to the race. My heart has been so conflicted lately, desiring to be obedient to my wonderful Abba, Father. How can I make a decision this large and know for sure what God wants from me? I’ve been so incredibly torn.
You’re probably wondering how did the static get there? How did I allow it to get in? Well when I heard the call for the Race I didn’t put much into my prayer about WHERE I should go. I never considered that my interests in studying the refugee crisis in Syria and now in Greece and all over Europe or my interest in the civil unrest in Ukraine could be of God or could be something I could use and do as an ambassador for His kingdom.
After much prayer and conviction about the things mentioned above, I have decided to switch routes to October Route 1 that would take me to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Ukraine, Romania, Albania, and Greece. This is one reason I have been quiet lately on social media about my journey with the Race and fundraising.
This decision wasn’t easy and didn’t some with some sort of level of anxiety. But I know that by depending on the Lord with this decision that I am in more than capable hands. I have no idea what I’m truly getting myself into but my Father does and that is more than enough encouragement.
