Like a ton of bricks, thoughts have been hitting me…
Will this be the last time I sleep past 8am for months?
Will this be my last cup of coffee with yummy French vanilla creamer for a year??
The next time I rock my baby nephew to sleep, he will be able to say “I love you too Auntie Boo”.
Will I have another opportunity to wash my hair in hot water, eat Chick-fil-a, drive a car, or drink from the tap before I leave to live in mostly third-world conditions for a year?
So many thoughts, so many what ifs… But somewhere between thinking about if I have time to paint my nails before I leave and just how to let all of the people I love know how much I appreciate them and will miss them, I was left with one thought. It planted itself in my heart and began to bloom there; Gratitude.
What an amazing life I have. Every bit of it. Every person. Every day. What amazing friends and family. Generous hearted people who believe in this dream God has birthed in my heart. But overall, what an amazing God! I can’t believe that life is allowed to look like this. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it won’t. The sky isn’t going to fall on me. News flash, GOD IS GOOD PEOPLE! Not just to perfect people that have it all together and are worthy of His love, those people don't exist. But He is good to His kids. Kids with skinned knees and dirty faces. Kids that just want to be seen and loved for who they are, loved by their Dad. Kids like you and kids like me.
I can't believe this sweet gift the Lord is inviting me into. Eleven months of traveling the world with like-minded people, a year of adventure and abandonment… UNREAL! But the thing is, it is not about The World Race. Yes, the Race will be an amazing year, but walking with God is a lifelong adventure. And I know there will be greater things than this. He is soooo good. He is alive and always pumping new life into His Body. He calls us to a life of adventure, every day. Not just for a year. Not just for a Labor Day river rafting trip, or week of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Not just through the characters in the books we read. Watch out Katniss Everdeen, life with Jesus is gonna put your hunger games to sleep! We were made for more. We were made for abandonment and the whirlwind of the unknown. For open doors that lead to unknown destinations.
Can’t you feel it? Aren’t you hungry? Aren't you tired of looking around and wondering if there is more? We look at ourselves in the mirror and think, "Yep, that is me. That is what I look like and this is all there is." But brothers and sisters, we have no idea who we are and what we are capable of! Did you know what you were not only made to face danger, but that you are dangerous? With the right words, armies will flee from you and mountains can literally be moved! You think you were made for mediocrity? For no more aspirations than fulfilling the "American Dream"? Like our unique fingerprints, God made us each different. He broke the mold with each and every one of us. He made us with a purpose and for a purpose, on purpose!
"Everyone who breathes has a mission, has a work. We are not sent to this world for nothing; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He created every soul for a purpose." -John Henry Newman
There is adventure waiting, and it is not for later. The God that formed you and created you says, “Now Beloved. Come away with me now… Let me show you what I made you for”. His plans for us are bigger, greater, higher, deeper and more heart pounding/ fist pumping than we could EVER IMAGINE!
Close your eyes. Quiet your mind and BE STILL. You will hear it…. A whisper. A yearning.
You were made for more. To shine. To love and be loved. Don’t know what that looks like or how to get there? Well ask the one that dreamed you up. Let Him take you by the hand and lead you into the glorious unknown.
“Sometimes the only way to return is to go, where the winds will take you. To let go of all you cannot hold onto, for the hope beyond the blue… So lift your voice just one more time. If there is any hope let it be a sign that everything was made to shine, despite what you can see.” (Josh Garrels, Beyond the Blue)
