I’m going to be honest with you right away, I struggled to write this blog post. The first of many. How does someone share their journey when there are so many things to talk about it. But then it hit me, I blog almost every day, but not on a computer and for the whole world to see, but in my journal. It’s not that different. So here is my story…..
There has been a song that I have been listening to on repeat for the last month or so, it is Glorious Unfolding by Steven Curtis Chapman. Wow, what a powerful song, filled with so many great lyrics. A song that I can relate to in so many ways. Steven sings:
Lay your head down tonight. Take a rest from the fight. Don’t try to figure it out. Just listen to what I’m whispering to your heart ‘cause I know this is not anything like you thought the story of your life was gonna be. And it feels like the end has started closing in on you but it’s just not true. There’s so much of the story that’s still yet to unfold. And this is going to be a glorious unfolding just you wait and see and you will be amazed. You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over. So hold on to every promise God has made to us and watch this glorious unfolding.
If you think that’s good, wait ‘til the second verse….
God’s plan from the start for this world and your heart has been to show His glory and His grace. Forever revealing the depth and the beauty of His unfailing love. And the story has only begun…
God’s plan for me, before the beginning of time, has been to share His love with the world. And that started in a small town in Central Illinois serving as a Director of Christian Education. As time has gone on, questions in my mind were being asked, is this where God really is calling me? And the answer was hard to hear at first. There were many nights of no sleep of wonder and worry of what the future holds. And then the answer came to me. But it was always there. It’s not what I have planned for my future but what God has planned for me.
About 4-5 years ago, a friend in college told me about the World Race. At the time, my answer was “wow, that sounds cool.” Then about two years ago I googled “youth mission trips” for ideas to take my church youth group on, and there in my search results was Adventures in Missions. I clicked on it, and there it was “World Race”. It caught my attention immediately. That began a flood of thoughts. I found myself reading all the blogs and watching all the videos.
Fast forward a few years. The idea of the World Race never left my mind. I talked about it with my parents and close friends. Their response “stop talking about missions and just go”. They were right, God has placed mission work on my heart, but I never pursued it. Even when I was little, I had dreams of being a missionary. It was time to chase a dream, but not even a dream, a calling that God has placed on my heart.
So what is the World Race???
The World Race is an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries through the organization Adventures in Missions. Through the World Race my team and I will partner with local churches and ministries in each country to share the Gospel, work in orphanages, plant churches, and restore hope of the Father’s love to many. This adventure and journey will begin January 2018.
Back to the song. Do you see the connection? I was lost and confused and didn’t know what to expect of the future. I didn’t trust God. I wanted it my way. God has “whispered” missions on my heart and I didn’t listen. But now I am. God has so much planned for my future, and I’m going to grow in so many ways that I can’t even imagine. It truly is going to be “a glorious unfolding” and the “story is so far from over.”
We were made to run through fields of forever
Singing songs to our savior and king.
So let us remember this life we’re living
Is just the beginning of the beginning.
