"You might be a redneck if"… oh, classic. Comedian’s gold, right there. Having just visited home for two weeks during spring break, I am contemplating my own version of the famous joke stem. Here is what I have concluded.
You might be Greg and Anne’s daughter if…
… sleeping in means getting up at 6:30 AM.
…the mode of transportation to the post office is a semi.
…it is normal to buy a cheeseburger for the dog during a lunch break.
…you know the reason for the random ponds near overpasses and railroads.
…wheat fields make you smile.
…you counted the number of tractors in the fields on your way back to school so you could report back.
…figuring out what to have for supper is a two-hour conversation that usually ends with pizza.
What can I say—my parents are pretty cool. I kind of wish they could control their coolness because it would make it much easier for me to leave.
When I am home I fall asleep looking at a world map. I try to envision the people who are there, the lives they are living. It is a surreal thought to know that so much life is happening all around the globe. I am excited to visit these people and places that have been left to my imagination.
Such a hard cost to go, though.
It makes me sad to think of living life apart from everyone and everything I have known. People do it all the time, I realize that. Military and other missionaries have moved away for longer periods of time than I will be gone. It is not that I do not think I can do it, I just do not want to. I wish I could carry everyone in my backpack. That would be awesome. Imagine the muscles after a year of that.
The other night when I was particularly sad to leave, I asked God how He could call me to a mission so far from home. (An opportunity I am so excited and grateful for, just FYI).
His answer—“Love me.”
That was it. Love Him and trust Him more than I love my family. When I first started getting to know Jesus, I struggled with the concept of putting Him above such special people in my life such as my family. He seemed selfish to me.
In reality, it was selfish of me. If my family was first, or if I was first in others' lives, I would be keeping them from the one Guy who could heal their hurts and save them. In the same way that a lifeguard does everything in his power to draw a drowning victim to himself and places himself in front of the crowd to save a life, Jesus must be placed first.
It is a volatile statement for many, and I definitely get that.
And I have a motto. It comes from a story I heard a while ago. A king sent out all of the wise men in the land to find a phrase that could apply to any situation in life. After much searching, the wise men came back with four words—this too shall pass.
I love it. The words encourage me to enjoy the good times and the right-now moments because life changes quickly. The words are also a sense of comfort during difficulties because, again, life changes.
I asked Him how to do this World Race thing. He said love Him. So I will. I will put Him first and leave so that I can change the world and be changed. But before July comes and I leave for a year, I will definitely be enjoying every moment with my special people.
Because this too shall pass.
And I would hate to miss it.
