I’ve lived in the same town my whole life. The people that were in my preschool class are in some of my classes as seniors in high school. I went out of the country for the first time this summer to a mission trip on Costa Rica and the longest I’ve gone without seeing my parents was 11 days. To say that going on the world race next year is the biggest transition I’ve ever undertaken is an understatement. So, why am I doing this?
It’s been said that going out of your comfort zone is the best way to grow in essentially everything. Pushing yourself to try new things is crucial to the learning process – if you only ever do what you know you are capable of, you’ll never know how far you can go. I’m a slave to routine. Those that know me know that if I’m not good at something within the first five minutes of trying it, I get frustrated. I’m too competitive for my own good; I’ll quit before I lose. With that in mind, I knew that if I were to ever grow in my faith with the Lord, I would have to do something that honestly seemed impossible. When I heard about the world race, I wrestled with the idea of leaving everything behind. From things as little as snapchat and 4G data to bigger things like my friends, my family, and going to college when everyone else is. Luke 10 talks about Jesus sending out the seventy two as ‘lambs in the midst of wolves’, saying that, yes, it will be hard. Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it. He says to ‘carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals…’, telling us that we will have to leave our comforts and other worldly possessions behind. Looking at this passage, I find myself asking why we would willingly submit to something as daunting as a task. However, later, Luke 10:17 says that ‘the seventy-two returned with joy.’ Joy? I find this to mean that true joy comes through Jesus, regardless of what or who we have along with us. This brings me comfort knowing that if his disciples returned with joy, so will I.
I’m worried that I’m not “good enough.” I feel like I need to fix myself before I try and embody Christ to others. I’m nowhere near perfect, and I feel like other people are so much better “christians” than I. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says “…’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I feel like God is telling me to leave these fears behind and let Him take control. I’ve never liked feeling like I’m not in control, but God can definitely do a much better job of running my life than I can. So, to sum everything up, I think He is calling me to go out of my comfort zone and to leave my fears and worries behind so I can grow closer to Him all while serving others.
There’s a popular quote all over Pinterest that says something along the lines of “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I guess I’m taking this blog post as a first step to a journey that’s gonna take a lot more than typing some words onto a blog post.
Please pray for me as I begin this whole process of fundraising and picking my route in September. If you feel led to donate, there’s a button on my page! There will definitely be a lot more information and fundraisers in the upcoming months. Thanks for reading my rambling and for reading this far hahaha. I’m so grateful for everybody who will be walking this journey alongside me!!
