The widespread reaction from my family and friends has pretty much been disbelief that I am actually looking forward to living out of a backpack and sleeping in a tent for 11 months.
So maybe it’s not what the average 21 year old girl gets giddy about,
but I’m definitely not your average 21 year old girl
I'm not saying that I’m anything special, I’m just very very
different
I would like to explain why I can’t do something more “normal”
In October 2011 I was put in a hospital because my heart was beating so slow that I should have been dead.
There is a very long story behind my hospitalization and maybe someday soon I will turn it in to a blog to share with everybody.
The most important thing to note right now is that I should have been DEAD.
It took me quite a long time to acknowledge the fact that I was so close to not existing,
but looking back now I can see that the life I was living was basically equivalent to not existing, especially in regards to my spiritual life. I had no daily contact with the Lord and I was planning my future based on what the world told me would bring happiness.
I had never been as unhappy as I was during the time of my life when I was living the “right” way.
After spending two weeks in the hospital listening to people tell me how close I was to dying, I had heard enough. I was not satisfied with the way I had been living and knew that something had to change or I would end up back in the hospital again.
After moving back home and getting back in touch with my church family I realized that I didn’t just survive my sickness, THE LORD SAVED MY LIFE FOR A REASON.
Once I realized that God had a greater plan for my life than I could have ever imagined, a fire was lit in my soul to do His work and glorify Him in my day to day life, no matter what that looked like….
and then I discovered The World Race.
I can not think of a better way to devote my life to Christ than serving people in underprivileged countries and showing that there is HOPE from the Lord even in the darkest situations. Giving up my worldly possessions and living a life completely dependent on Christ is the ultimate challenge but I know that this is how God intended to use my time on earth. I do not want my life to be driven by desires of the flesh; I want to live in a way that will have an impact for ETERNITY.
One of the main verses that changed how I view life is
Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Therefore I REFUSE to do something more “normal”
God did not save me from death so I could keep living in the ways of the world.
My life was saved so I could share the miracle that is Christ’s love.
In conclusion… I’m not normal and I’m proud of my uniqueness in The Lord!
