When signing up for the Race you see eleven months as being an eternity. A lot can happen over the course of a year. Your mind wanders to all of the holidays, birthdays, weddings, engagements, and births you’ll miss and your heart begins to ache. Those nights of ordering pizza and watching FRIENDS with your best friend becomes one of your most treasured memories to hold on to. The stress of accommodating eight people’s tastes for picking out the perfect Christmas tree no longer feels like a burden but more of a cherished memory that will have to be skipped this year. So why do it?
It’s simple.
The blessings that overflow from following God’s call for your life lead to overwhelming amounts of joy, peace and unconditional love. Here are just a few people I met who have taught me the benefits of loving until it hurts.
I spent all of last month on the island of Mindoro, Philippines. I can’t even begin to describe to you how fast our month went. I spent countless hours stargazing with some pretty amazing teenagers. We laid under the stars telling jokes, playing games, and sharing testimonies with each other. Some of them had a hard time sharing and it was equally hard to grasp the painful words escaping from their mouths. Kids whose lives had been changed because someone took the time to love them by listening to them. They were given a voice.
I met a woman who I will never forget. A woman who will be a warrior for her community if she continues to follow in the steps God has laid out for her. A woman who, when we first met her, claimed she had nothing to offer, no giftings of any kind. She now encourages her family and friends to be in the Word daily and to pray about everything. I was so blessed in meeting her and learned so much by being in community with her and her family. Saying goodbye was hard but knowing she’s going to be leading others to the kingdom lessens the hurt of parting ways.
My friend, who sold jewelry on the beach, shared with me how Christians in the past have argued with him and told him he would go to Hell because he is Muslim. He had been severely wounded by those words. He asked me why Christians showed hatred towards him but claimed to have this God of love. I was determined to show him that sometimes Christians misrepresent God and that I genuinely cared for his heart. We spent every afternoon talking about my adventures so far on the Race, exchanging stories about our families, sharing cultural differences between Americans and Filipinos, and of course we had to have some sports talk. He would always ask me about how our “special numbers” at church went on Wednesdays and Sundays. After talking to our ministry contact, it was determined that because of the danger he could face within his own beliefs, he wouldn’t show up for one of the services. She said it was best to keep talking to him at the beach. On our last Wednesday night service, he tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I was too embarrassed to thank you during the service but I wanted to come say goodbye and thank you for everything.” Thank you for everything? I hadn’t done anything but listen to him. Turns out that sometimes that’s the way God wants to use you.
One morning, my team and I were having worship time on the beach. What better place to pray than on the beach with blue skies and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. While we were praying, I noticed a man struggling to come to his feet in the sand. I waited a few minutes to see if he could do it and, after he fell to the sand, walked over to help him. He had some form of disability that crippled his left arm and hand and caused him to walk with a limp. His English was not very clear but after pointing to the ocean I realized he was saying swim. I found his walking stick, helped him up and we headed for the water. He then tried to splash water on his face, balance in the waves, and keep track of his walking stick. Then it hit me. He didn’t want to swim. He was trying to bathe. I shoved the feelings of sympathy and pity away and began to help him bathe. We headed back for the shore where his flip flops were and got him all put together to head out for the rest of his day. He handed me two pieces of candy. He couldn’t open the wrapper so I did it for him and placed it in his mouth. The other one he gave to me as a thank you. After I hugged him and prayed for him we parted ways. Every few steps away from me he took, he turned around and, with a huge smile, waved goodbye all while mouthing a soft thank you.
We have so many opportunities to make a difference yet a lot of times we choose not to take them. I hear arguments of short term missions not being beneficial. I hear people say a year is too long to be away from home. Truth is both are wrong. If God has called you to the Race then embrace it. If He has called you to missions then GO! I just gave you four brief stories of how lives were impacted in just a month’s time. None of the above happened because of me or anything I did. They happened because God used me to be his hands and feet.
This month I learned to love with everything I have. The end of the months are hard when it’s time to say goodbye but, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t change that. I want to continue to build these relationships and love the people I meet.
John 13:34-35
“…Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if we love one another.”
They will know Christ by the way you love.
