Im not special.
Most people will hear our stories about how we left and sold everything to go on the race and it will blow their minds in how we could do that. Looking back it was hard in the moment but those weren’t the hardest things to give up. Material things are easy when you look at giving up the stuff on the inside, thats the hard part.
Lets play a game of would you rather, shall we?
Would you rather
leave your job or stay stagnate?
Would you rather
sell your car or not trust God?
Would you rather
sell your home or control your own life?
Would you rather
Stay at home and be the “glue” or “peacemaker” of your family or learn how to put the real glue and peace into the center of your family?
Well when you say it like that it sounds like an easy decision right? The coolest thing about learning to leave behind all of these things is that you get to LEARN HOW TO LEAVE ALL THESE THINGS BEHIND. God is not a God that rips things out of your hand. He is patient and kind, He waits for your open hand to take out what He wants and put in something better.
Matthew 10:39
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Believer or not we can all agree that we make a mess out of our lives. So why not give it away to someone who knows what to do with it? Giving up material things like that is the easy part, learning faith, trust, love and how to expose the ugly side of your heart to the Lord, thats the hard stuff and thats the stuff worth leaving behind. I can tell you a few of mine.
When I left for my DTS I still had a job and apartment waiting for me, and I brought my car with me, so I didn’t leave anything behind. First God asked me to give up my apartment, I loved living alone but I guess I could find another one when I got back. Secondly it was my job. My job was sucking the life out of me and I knew it, but I made good money. Thirdly it was my future and if I would say yes to a life in missions. Lets look at it like this, God asked me, “Will you trust that I will provide a home for you wherever you go? “Will you trust me to provide for your needs?” “Will you trust me with your future?” And fourth He asked me the hardest question of all, “Do you trust me with your family?” My answer was, “No, they need me. I can’t leave them.” The Lord replied, “Marissa, you already have. Look at where you are and how much they have grown since you have been gone. I gave you and your family time, I would never take them away from you.”
Those were the 4 things I had to leave behind. Once I did and I looked back on they ended up looking a lot different than just a material thing.
My apartment – my comfortability
My job – the pride of me being my own provider
My future – thinking I was smarter than God in making decisions for my life
My family – me believing I was a savior.
What I got in return for giving up those things well, I will make that trade any day. I’m not saying that you have to go sell everything you have and quit your job, thats something we as racers were called to do, but what are you called to do? What do you need to give up in order to receive what God has for you?
