Our team worships together once or twice a week. Here is what God put on my heart during one of those sessions.
Borders.
Border is ‘an edge or boundary of something’ as defined by Google.
Some have been in place for many years, some change constantly, some are new, some are in place by authorities and yet others are put in place by you and I. When God created the world He did not create all the borders we have today. He created division between sky and sea, night and day, and land and water.
Borders either keep something in or others out. A baby’s playpen helps keep the baby in a safe place to play, nap, whatever. A fence around a home or business may be in place to keep others out. God calls us higher though. Most babies will try and some will succeed in climbing out of the playpen. Kids have an innate sense of wonder, they are able to learn from everything they see, hear, or touch; why would they want to be contained in one place when there is SO much to learn from?
Sometimes as we grow up, we tend to lose our sense of wonder. Our borders are put in place to keep us safe, we know what they contain. Sometimes it’s not sharing too much personal information with this person, not talking to people who look a certain way, not going out after dark because it’s dangerous outside the gate, never leaving your city/state/country because we are content. Staying where you are is comfortable and safe.
God does not call us to be comfortable. He wants to call us deeper, farther so our faith in Him becomes stronger. He wants us to face challenges because He knows what will make us stronger, more dependent on Him. Most the stories in the Bible have struggles, people were called out of their comfort zones. Abram left everything he knew because God told him to, Noah built an ark while others made fun of him, Moses helped save a nation of people, Paul shared while from prison, and I’m pretty sure the cross was not a comfortable place for Jesus. God knew all these things would happen, He PLANNED them. No, it is not always fun; it can be painful physically and emotionally, but we learn so much from those times.
The Race hasn’t been easy. I left all my securities back in Texas; my job, my home, my twin sister, my family and my friends. I have slept on floors, eaten rice for days, been sick to my stomach, asked to teach, asked to share my testimony, had many sleepless nights and so much more. Please don’t think I’m complaining because in losing the comforts of home, I’ve had to trust God has a plan for me. Not being able to sleep at night gives me more time to pray, or longer quiet time in the morning. While I am not always excited for the food, I am glad there is a meal in front of me and I am not going hungry. Teaching kids teaches me patience and grace, and reminds me to laugh.
My life before the Race wasn’t always easy, but now I see how much I took for granted, how God wanted to teach me and I plain refused. Out here, it’s not as easy to turn away from our struggles. I have learned some tough lessons. But I pray that when I return from the Race, my borders constantly change, that I am brave enough and have enough faith to know God is in the deeper waters. He will always be there for me, because I AM HIS!
God calls us to cross borders EVERYDAY. Your border may be crossing the cafeteria to sit by the new kid who doesn’t have friends yet, it may be buying an unknown co-worker coffee, visiting the nursing home and making new friends, inviting a new family in town to church, healing broken relationships, or it could be leaving your home/state/country.
What border is God calling you to cross?
