Can I write to you about how EXCITED I am about the World Race?? It’s been a while. I want to say it again. I’M SO EXCITED!!
Worshiping Jesus at my sister’s church in Portland (January) I sang the words “take these hands. I know they’re empty, but with you they can be used for beauty.” And my tears started flowing like a faucet.
I am bringing my nothing to the World Race. Who am I in the face of poverty? What wisdom do I have? I am a fool on a good day. But I will give you everything I have, Jesus, even if it does amount to nothing. And you in your infinite sweetness take my big pile of nothing [ or worse than ] and you can bless and you can heal.
I recently read Psalm 12:5 and I saw a corner of God’s heart.
The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”
I was wondering this week, what’s the difference between loving and serving God here in Seattle vs on the World Race. There are very real needs in both places; going across the world won’t change much if I’m not bringing my empty hands to God right here and right now. And I don’t expect it to.
But I am going because I believe God is asking me to let go of literally everything.
Let go of control over who I spend time with and how I look.
Act out the belief I profess: my value is not based in how much money I make or what I do.
But what a God I get to give it all up for! A God who is attentive, and who rises to act in the face of injustice. I truly believe I would be in torment if I did not go out to the nations for this season of my life. I would be in torment knowing that the “poor and helpless” are groaning in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, India, Nepal, China and Mongolia. It’s NOT OK that they are crying out, with God first and so it has become not ok with me.
Thank you God that you have stirred my selfish heart for the people your heart is breaking for.
It wasn’t that I woke up one morning and thought, “Wow, I really love the Mongolian people today”
I know nothing about Mongolia. I’ve never even met someone from Mongolia.
But I stepped out, signed up for the Race and got dumped on by a big ‘ol bag of God sized love for ABRTSASBINCA (that’s an acronym for the countries I’m going to if you didn’t catch that).
Last, a whole bunch of my excitement is to know God more. God is not bound to city limits or even between the covers of a Bible. God is without bound and I can’t wait to encounter Him in ABRTSABINCA. If I am this overwhelmed by a tiny taste of Him from this verse, how much more will I be as I encounter Him for 11 months through countless faces.
So that’s how I’m doing friends. Thank you for loving me well and for reading my musings.
