Ever since I committed to the World Race, I’ve been following social media accounts of other world racers, a little obsessively. Seeing all of their posts makes me excited, anticipatory and asking tons of questions to myself…
“Will I really get to see beautiful landscapes like that in real life?”
“Will I have the opportunity to swim with sharks too? Would I do it?!”
“Will a scorpion make a late night visit to my tent too?!”
“Will God use me in the life changing ways He’s using them?”
One post I saw recently was of a fellow racer, teaching the English alphabet to children in Ecuador. She described how she had taken on new roles while being on the World Race. Roles such as cook, public speaker, English teacher, actress, street evangelist, etc.
This got me thinking.
For 19 years, I’ve played the role of “student”, working towards my answer to the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” As of May 2018, I will no longer play this role. I won’t even play the role of the answer to the aforementioned question: “physical therapist.” I’m taking a rain-check on that role until July 2019. So, for that time between “student” and “physical therapist”, when I am traveling to 11 different countries, meeting new faces, hearing new languages, and eating new foods, what roles will I play? Maybe I’ll play an art-teacher in Haiti, or a soccer coach in Zambia, or a dance instructor in Albania, or a farmer in Nepal, or a construction worker in Botswana.
I can’t predict the roles specifically, but what I do know is that I will more than likely be unqualified, unequipped, and under prepared for whatever these roles might be, and that’s okay.
It’s okay because I’m comforted by what I find in scripture. For example, Exodus describes a man named Moses exchanging his role as leader of sheep to leader of people as he led the people of Israel out of slavery. And then in 1 Samuel 17, where a man named David exchanges his role as a musician and shepherd to become a triumphant giant slayer. And again in Acts 9, when a man named Paul, exchanges his role as persecutor of Christians to become an Apostle who shared the gospel with many nations.
Each of these men were called to a role much greater and much scarier than the roles they currently played. None of them received training for their new roles. There was no on-boarding process or orientation.
So, instead of gaining confidence in themselves by their own efforts to excel in these new roles, they found their confidence in the Lord. They had to trust Him to provide them with every need these new roles would require because they were indeed unqualified, unequipped and under prepared for what they were stepping into.
They needed God to qualify them by his calling on their life. They needed God to equip them with the Holy Spirit to guide their steps. They needed God to prepare the way ahead of them, fighting battles they never even knew existed.
I’m thankful that I need God in order to fulfill the roles He’ll have me play on the World Race. Because what He can do through me in those roles will be far better than what I would ever be able do in them alone…on my best day…with years of training. I need only to trust in Him, have confidence in Him, and be obedient to Him.
If you want to follow along with my journey and find out exactly what roles God would have me play on the World Race please subscribe to my blog to have my updates sent straight to your email!
