In January I launched with my team (Team Doulos) on the World Race! I was excited as we landed in our first country, Ecuador, and couldn't wait to dig deep with my team, give them awesome feedback and help take them to places I had already been spiritually! I mean after all I was whole and content in my relationship with God right? I didn't need any personal healing! God had already healed me! – boy was I in for a BIG surprise!
Ill never forget one of our first team times where we gave feedback as a team. I had it in my head that my team mate Julie Dickey needed to know that she didn't come across as willing to change. – For those of you who don't know Julie (or didn't know her at that time I should say) let me tell you a little bit about her. She was a strong, independent, career seeking woman who was very in tune with her moral code and belief system; she knew who she was and didn't need anyone to tell her.
As you can imagine me telling her that she wasn't willing to change wasn't the brightest of ideas I've ever had. In fact if I remember correctly I believe she pulled out this little black box handcuffed to her wrist and promised to push the big red button if I decided to have a similar revelation about her. Needless to say I think both of our attitudes were wrong and unloving, which ended with the beginning of the second Cold War!
Julie was my enemy. There was no doubt about it. I thought she was abrasive, unloving, and deep down in her core purely evil. I prayed that God would take us off of the same team or that He would give her a great revelation to see how wrong she was. But instead God decided to open both of our eyes…
It took 4 months of living together before things started to change. We had learned how to avoid each other and rarely gave each other feedback or spoke for that matter. But something changed in both of us this month. I can't tell you what it was as I'm not even sure myself. I can't vouch for Julie, but for me I began to see the work God was doing in her and the amazing woman she is becoming.
Now I can honestly say that I see the love of Christ running out of Julie on a daily basis. I've seen this strong independent women be vulnerable and real. She's still strong and independent of other people, but now her strength comes from God because she is truly dependent upon Him. Our relationship is still rocky at times, but it's so different because Jesus has done such a great work in us. Don't get me wrong, Julie and me aren't best friends! But I know I can depend on her to call out in me the Kyle God created to be and she does it in a brutally honest and loving way. She calls out my faults just as they are, but she operates out of a place if love.
I decided to write this blog to give hope to current and future Racers. If you get put on a team where one or more of your team mates doesn't really get along with you, I want to encourage you to push in and love them! Gods put you there for a reason and there is ALWAYS hope in the morning!
July 1st is my last financial deadline for the race! I only need about $5200! Please consider donating!!!
