“So you just got back from World Race training camp, was it what you thought it would be like?”
The truth is that my answer is yes and no, with way more emphasis on the no.
I spent last week tucked away in Tennessee’s trees and hills, going through training. It was a beautiful week full of laughs, tears, starry nights, worship, sessions, green trees, dancing and new friends. For me, it included a little bit of sickness and I spent most of it in person overload (as I am a true introvert). It was exhausting.
Even with the difficult, when it was time for me to put my head on my pillow each night I thought: that was an absolutely stunning day.
THAT is the part I didn’t expect. I had heard whispers of training camp and had prepared myself for the difficult parts. I walked off the plane telling myself “Lindsey, all you need to do is soldier through for one week.” All I can do is laugh at myself now. I had no idea what the Father had for me.
There were lots of tidbits I picked up last week but the overarching theme was
LEAVE SPACE
One day, I ventured off the camp site with five lovely girls; looking for a memory. The goal was to make a bond with my new teammates and come up with a name that would describe us. In the beginning I felt pressure to orchestrate an event that everyone would love and gush over. After a few minutes of the pressure the Father reminded me what I had learned the past few days.
Instead of holding to your usual strict agenda, leave a little room for me to surprise you.
So as we ate our afternoon meal, I gave our time over to God and trusted that his event planning would be better than mine. As we finished up our Zacksbee’s chicken strips, thickly seasoned French fries and Texas toast someone suggested we hunt down something sweet. The six of us girls piled into Jessica’s car and (excuse this reference) let Jesus take the wheel.
Maybe two seconds later someone noticed an ice cream shop. Jessica whipped the car around and we walked into a charming 50’s diner.
We got to chatting with the owners, Maryanne and Allen. They invited us in for a snapshot of their life. They settled in North Carolina (right on the border) about 30 years ago and threw the doors open to their diner, which they call No Name.
Maryanne told me stories of how God speaks to her. I heard about this special and unique love language, tailored just for her. While I heard about her love for the Father, I began to crave more of him myself.
Then someone asked about how/why they had named their diner “No Name.” She told us that way back when, they couldn’t think of a good name. They wanted it to be meaningful and catchy but nothing really came to them. So they decided to keep it as No Name temporarily and get input from family, friends and customers. In time lots and lots and lots of good suggestions came. They loved them all but couldn’t pick just one.
In a funny way by leaving the name of the diner open for suggestions, their quaint shop encompassed them all. Maryanne and Allen left space in their shop, and waited to see what found its way in.
I LOVE THIS.
So with Maryanne and Allan’s blessing, we named our team No Name. Our hope and intention in this is to let God move how he wants to move. We want to invite the Father into our team, relationships and ministry. We want to be expectant for MORE of God. Instead of starting our race off thinking we know what God has for us, we’ll let him surprise us. We will let him name us.
I don’t know how often I’m brave enough to do this. Even when I walked into training camp I had an agenda. How scary is it sometimes to open up with expectations wide and agendas sidelined?
Do you have any agendas you’re holding onto? What would it look like to let some of those go, and leave space for God to do his own thing?
