Every month that I’ve been on the World Race, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and serve with a lot of different people from other cultures. Some of which have been natives of whichever country I may be serving in, and some of which have given up their homes in another country to pursue the Lord’s calling in their life.
In my 16 months of World Race life, I have had the chance to see the hearts of many different people at work, and I wanted to make this blog about those who have given their lives over (metaphorically and physically) for the sake of the kingdom.
In the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a letter to one of his scientific rivals, Robert Hooke, and in this letter he coined a phrase to which I have given a lot of thought since first launching with the World Race in July, 2013.
Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Until that time, people had used different versions of that phrase in mythology and storytelling, but Newton was the first to give it some real meaning. He was able to recognize that though his achievements may have been great, he would never have gotten to the level at which he worked, if it hadn’t been for the hard work of his predecessors, paving the way for many of Newton’s theories and discoveries.
And where would we as Racers be, if it weren’t for the giants who have come before us? Men like William Carey, Adoniram Judson, David Livingston, Jonathan Goforth, and Jim Elliot. Guys who left, not just for an 11-month journey, but for a lifetime away from their friends, family, and the comforts of home.
These men pioneered locations that World Racers are literally staying in at this moment, and our journey would never have been conceived had it not been for these founding fathers of modern missions.
These are the giants who paved the way into the mission field; going places where no Christian had gone before (their “prime directive” for Star Trek fans out there…), and sometimes paying the ultimate price for God’s kingdom.
On their shoulders have stood men and women of the modern mission field; some of which I’ve had the honor to serve with over the last 2 years: people like George Ridley, Dan & Maria Hullerbrink, Pieter Mierke, and Ango & Asui Kikon. These are the modern giants whose shoulders the World Race has stood on. Our journeys wouldn’t be possible, were it not for the calling in their hearts to allow a bunch of 20/30-somethings to crash their homes, run up their electric bill, and leach off their wifi.
Even further yet, I know that I personally have stood on the shoulders of those former Racers whose blogs, pictures, and videos inspired me to answer God’s call for me to give this time to Him. People like Stephanie May, Helena Jordao, Ash Garcia, and Erica Shappie who made this journey look exciting, and showed how much one experience when they step out of their comfort zone.
After examining these giants of God’s kingdom, my call to action for current Racers and young believers is to allow themselves to be the giants for future generations.
There’s no reason that one of us couldn’t write a blog, post a video, or give a word of encouragement that may be the turning point in someone’s life, which pushes them into the mission field; allowing them to begin the journey of transforming lives for Christ.
There will never be too many giants in our own lives, whose shoulders we can stand on in order to “see further”, as Newton put it. And believe it or not, every one of us has the capacity to become a giant to those who come after us.
If you just open your feet to stand on someone else’s shoulders, then you can open your own shoulders to allow others to see even further.
