One of my greatest ‘heroes of the faith’ is a man named Jim Elliot. He was a missionary to the Waodani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. Before he ever set foot on foreign soil, he was a man fully surrendered to the cause of Christ and the course set before him. His life and writings have impacted my life greatly, more than most others who have walked with the Lord.
On September 24, 1950, he penned this statement:
Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.
I have 66 days until I step onto a plane for my wildest adventure with the Lord to date. It’s a good thing to look forward and prepare for the things that the Lord has for us. John 16:13 says “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come”. Holy Spirit guides us into all truth and tells us things to come so that we can be prepared and ready to walk the path set before us. The danger is to be so ‘future focused’ that we miss the things before us right now.
I know that in 66 days, my whole world will change… forever. But, I also know that I have 66 glorious days to walk with the Lord, right now! I know that He has things for me to do in this season, even as I prepare for the World Race.
I believe the will of God for these next 66 days that I spend in America is to love fully every person in front of me. I believe the will of God is for me to serve my church and love and build up my friends in the Lord. I believe the will of God is for me to spend the holidays with my family and shower them with love for as long as I can!!!
Change is in the wind. I am preparing as the Lord shows me how… and as I am preparing… I choose not to neglect my right now. I am choosing to me ALL here and fully present in the lives of the people around me right now! I am choosing to show people they are worth my full attention right now.
I encourage you to do the same… Wherever you are, be all there! Show the people around you that they are important and worth your time.
