A week ago, my parents and I were sitting at a coffee shop. As we sat sharing experiences, my mom made a point to mention our bathroom situation. For us as Racers, flushing toilet paper hasn’t been something we’ve been able to do for months. But for our parents, this concept of not flushing toilet paper was foreign – A small reminder of how our lifestyles have changed since being on the field. That’s not the only example of how our minds have shifted…As I sit here typing this post, I’m eating a spoonful of Skippy Peanut Butter labeled completely in Thai wondering how much longer I can stretch this blessing from above. I can’t tell you the last time my clothes have seen a dryer. I can list on one hand the number of places that have had hot showers. When I see a squatty potty, my first inclination is not disgust but instead to find a friend with toilet paper. The list goes on, and shockingly enough, those things have little effect on my attitude or joy.
And I think that’s the point. In the States, we have so many blessings that offer us comfort in the physical but more and more, I see how those comforts blind us to our true need of spiritual revival. I’ve had people tell me that it would be easier for me to draw closer to God on this journey because I have “less distractions”…I would beg to differ. We all have our temptations to stray from God. The enemy knows us and knows how to deceive us regardless of where we are in the world, and ironically, for how “different” the world may seem from our own experiences, I have found more similarities in my time abroad.
Wi-fi can be found just about anywhere (although sometimes it may be a 30 minute bus ride away, and you can only go on off days); Where there is wi-fi, you bet you can find Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Netflix. Coke and Oreos have been found in every country we’ve visited. Living 24-7 in community means that we can push each other towards Christ, or allow each other to “do our own thing” and limit the growth that this church can afford us.
All of these things mirror what I dealt with in the States – Comparison, mindless distraction, unhealthy habits and the desire to please people more than God. All of these things remain while I take my cold showers, sparingly eat my blessed peanut butter, hand wash my clothes and throw my TP in the trash. The difference in my lifestyle isn’t about where I’m at, the ministry we serve or even the living conditions; It’s about making the daily choice to place God on the throne – To make my relationship with Him my priority all day long.
My heart in sharing this is to encourage you – No amount of physical comfort will bring the joy that is found in relationship with your Creator, and a relationship with Him isn’t easier or more difficult depending on where you are in the world, the number on your paycheck or the amount of peanut butter jars you have stashed away. It is a daily choice we all have to make and so I encourage you, choose Joy. Choose God.
Side note: My relationship with God has deepened out of my choice to place Him above all else but I have found the blessing of church in the way Jesus intended it. As brothers and sisters, we are all called to encourage and challenge one another to grow in our faith and to live out the Word. As you step into intimacy with Jesus, find the body, the church. Find community that will fill you with truth and push you closer to God. It’s so worth it.
