So I’ve been on the World Race for about a month and by day 2 at our ministry placement, I knew that the expectations I had going into this experience were far from reality. For some reason, I had the unrealistic idea that the minute I got on the field I would be a perfect Christian. Logical, right? Wrong. I’ve quickly realized that it’s easy to create routines and rhythms that don’t exclude God. It’s just as possible to skip setting aside time with the Lord in Asia as it is in Canada. Due to this annual holiday which conveniently started during our first week here, we were going to begin our ministry placements working in hospitals and teaching English the following week. Each team had temporary ministry placements for the holiday; My team helped paint some murals at a private Buddhist school to replace the outdated, sort of disturbing murals which covered the walls of the outdoor cafeteria/pool area. We finished a day earlier than expected, providing some extra ‘free time’.
My teammate and I were approached by someone saying they hadn’t had as many “God talks” as they’d expected. It was clear that everyone had expectations that weren’t being fulfilled. Others said, “I feel like we have a lot of free time and nothing to do, I want ministry to start.” But in that moment I thought to myself: “start them. If you feel like you haven’t had as many God talks as you wanted, then bring Him up. Ministry can happen at any second, of any day.” We each carry the Holy Spirit with us and as believers, we should share that with everyone around us. It’s not going to be easy, nor will it be effortless, but it is possible.
But in thinking that I felt hypocritical. I had time and opportunities to experience God, talk with Him and share Him with those around me, but I hadn’t. I was still neglecting to read my Bible, praying only when I felt like I needed to or as if it was an afterthought and I wasn’t making my relationship with Him a priority like I said I would going into the Race.
This 9-month experience has the power to change things deep within each of us, but we need to let it. We need to take the opportunities to wake up a bit early, dig into His Word and sit in the presence of the Lord. We need to seek out the hard conversations, look for God in all situations and share Him and what He’s doing within each of us. We need to create NEW routines and rhythms that center around the Lord because ultimately, that’s both how and why we’re all here: the Lord. Expectations are just that, expectations. It’s inevitable that we will each have them, but we need to realize they won’t always be fulfilled. We have to put in some effort to grow closely intimate with God and share Him with the world. Heading into debriefing, I’m looking forward to time with the Lord, to experience His peace and love, and see Him in the heart of Cambodia.
