6 days.
I leave for Georgia in 6 days.
I remember when I first got accepted last September. Telling people about this trip, it seemed so far away, so far out of reach that part of me didn’t think I would actually be going.
But now here we are, coincidentally 11 months later, gearing up to leave for 11 months.
And it is a slow gearing up since I have been refusing to pack in fear that I won’t possibly be able to fit a year of my life into two small bags.
As the day approaches, anyone I run into usually asks one of two questions.
“Are you ready?”
or
“Are you excited?”
Well, yes and no.
I tend to not think of myself as a super emotional person, but for something like this I am.
My emotions are currently on a roller coaster of all the feels, up and down, twisting and turning.
Mostly I am in a “Oh my goodness I’m leaving in 6 days” state.
The emotion that follows can be one of happiness, a state of shock, or an emotional breakdown.
Depends on the day.
Or the hour really.
It is so easy to get caught up in emotions. There is so many people and things I am going to miss.
My family and friends.
My super great boyfriend.
My church.
My home.
Chickfila.
Only slightly kidding about that last one.
It is so easy to get wrapped up in who and what I will miss. That is where most of the tears flow from.
But then I have to remind myself.
I’m coming back.
Everything I will miss will be here when I return.
Maybe not in the exact same spot, but I will see my family again and my boyfriend.
I will go back to my church.
I will eat all the foods that are bad for me (except for you Chickfila, you’re Christian chicken).
So there is no need to let all those thoughts and feelings take over me before I leave and cloud my focus.
They shouldn’t be on my mind so much that it holds me back while I am in the mission field.
Satan is really going to try to have the upper hand on this one, but it’s not going to work.
“In You, is all I need, You’re my breathe, You’re my life, You’re my everything.”
Beautiful lyrics, that if ringing true in my life, means nothing else should hold weight in my life like Jesus does.
He is first.
He is the most important.
Philippians 4:13-14 says “I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”
Focus.
It’s ok to show your emotions. To be happy, sad, nervous. That’s natural.
It’s going to be ok when I get homesick out there, or tired or upset.
As long as that isn’t all I focus on.
Because if that’s all I focus on I am going to miss out on what Jesus has called me to do.
I’m going to miss out on crucial moments. There will be missed opportunities.
And I won’t get those back.
So I set my eyes on Christ.
Laying down all that may try to cloud focus I press into Him and what He has called me to be.
He is my prize.
And I am His hands and feet to a world that so desperately needs Him.
In 6 days I leave my comfort zone. In 9 days I leave this country.
And I can’t wait.
There is so much that lies ahead.
It will be tough. I will have my moments. But oh how sweet it will be to share the love of Jesus with so many.
Thank you for going on this journey with me. Get ready to see some incredible God moments(:
“From head to the heart, You take me on a journey, of letting go, getting lost in You.”
