Welcome to my first blog post! If you’ve made it this far, you already know that I am going on the World Race starting in January of 2015. I’ll be trading in my apartment and office job for a tent and a backpack. The tent is starting to look pretty appealing these days, since my apartment is not air-conditioned and the Washington, DC area is infamous for its summer heat and humidity.
So, why am I doing this, anyway?
The short answer: I’m giving up on my dream of a normal life.
My roommate told me recently that she remembers praying, shortly after becoming a Christian in college, that she wouldn’t turn into one of those weird people. She wanted to keep her normal life “with a little Jesus on the side.” She was apparently pretty dismayed when God said no to this.
Normal isn’t enough. Jesus said he came so that we could have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He said that our joy would be full (John 16:24) and that in him we would have peace (John 16:33). He said that the same love with which the Father had loved him would be in us (John 17:26). He even said that we would do greater works than he had done (John 14:12), and he did some pretty awesome stuff.
I’m going on the World Race because I’m done with low expectations.
I serve a God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above anything I could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I’m ready to quit thinking so small about my life and start expecting God to show up big. Part of that involves letting go of the things that I hold onto for comfort and security. I can’t open my metaphorical hand to receive what God has for me when my fingers are clinched tight, clutching to something else.
So, I’m letting go. I’m leaving the things that make me feel secure and comfortable: things like my job, my community of friends, and living in a culture where I more-or-less fit in. I’m trading in the false sense of security I get from those things so I can learn to depend utterly on the one thing that will never fail: God himself.
I’m going on the World Race because Jesus said, “Go” (Matthew 28:19).
He said we’d be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) so that the world would know God loves them (John 17:23). He didn’t heal us and cleanse us and give us peace so we could just sit back and admire how clean and peaceful we are. We’re commanded to go and bring the good news of his love and healing to the entire world (Mark 16:15). Ends of the earth, here I come!
