“Oh! You graduate in August! How wonderful! What are you going to do after you get your degree?”
This question has been rampant in my conversations recently, and up until last week I did not have an answer. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal to some, but to me it was a big deal.
See, I am always the girl with a plan. I know where I’m headed next and exactly what I will be doing. But here I was approaching the ADULT season of my life – the crunch time – and I couldn’t even begin to answer this question. I had some “I’m hoping to . . .” answers, but nothing was really concrete. So here I was, facing the world of adulthood and searching for answers. I was longing for something that would make me feel fulfilled in Christ Jesus, somewhere I could embrace all that the Lord had to offer me. I knew that God had called me to more, and months before applying for the WR (World Race) I began to struggle with this feeling.
I distinctly remember having a conversation with one of my friends a few months ago. We were discussing a program that I had considered applying for in Tyler, Texas, and I was struggling with the idea of moving. Tyler, which is an hour away from my home, seemed too far for me to spend a year of my life, so I was trying to decide if I should even apply.
I was told by said friend, “You’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” I promptly reminded them to shut up, because basketball analogies are stupid and they were wrong. Except they were right, and I was stubborn. Ultimately this conversation was God preparing me for something greater. As I spoke about feeling discontent simply staying where I was at and at the same time being fearful to move anywhere, I was encouraged to take a leap of faith.
At the time it was the last thing that I wanted to hear, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. Although it was months later that I took the leap of faith towards the WR, it is obvious now that God was preparing my heart for the journey.
When I finally applied for the WR I told this same friend what I had done and their response was, “The Shannon Brown I knew three months ago would never have even applied,” and once again, they were right. Three months ago I was timid and scared of the future. I didn’t want to abandon all that I had known. I wanted to stay comfortable.
But God does not call us to a life of comfort.
He calls us to a life of reckless abandonment.
He says to count everything a loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:8). So I am abandoning my home, my family, my friends, my comfort. Not because it will be easy, but because I know it is an act of obedience.
I chose to obey His call, and here I am. Still scared of the future, but no longer a crippling – afraid to even move – kind of scared. Rather an exciting – I cannot wait to see what God has next, even though it will be hard – kind of scared.
I invite all of you to figure out what God is calling you to abandon. What idols are grabbing a foothold in your life? What fear is crippling you from moving?
For me, it was the comfort of home.
But Christ is my ultimate home.
Find comfort for your fear in God’s truth. Seek him earnestly and be willing to lay down whatever false gods you are trying so desperately to cling to.
Because only there will you find fulfillment in Christ Jesus. I know because I have found this fulfillment; I am filled with it each time I think of the journey He has called me on. My journey is the World Race. What is yours?
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21
