Many people say that the world race changes them forever.
But I beg to differ.
The world race offers the opportunity to be changed forever, but it's not a trip or an organization that does the transformation. Its Jesus.
Coming on the race my biggest prayer was, "Lord, change me. Mold me. Wreck my world for the ordinary. Transform my heart. "
The truth is I can pray that prayer all day long, but until I decide to make choices that lineup with it nothing magical is just going to happen.
My prayer and the challenge to make those choices goes right along with the last question that you asked:
"What's the biggest lesson that you've learned on the race?"
This is a tough one because I have learned a lot over the last 7 months. A lot about who I am in Christ, how to handle relationships, what healthy community looks like, and a lot about 7 different cultures.
While I have learned a lot about myself and other countries, those things are subject to change. But there's one person I've learned more and more about that never changes.
Jesus.
The most important thing I'm taking away from the race is merely the importance of keeping my eyes open and focused on Him. It sounds so simple yet it has to be something I fight for each and every day. He's there. He's moving. He's active. I just have to have eyes to see Him over my own wants and desires.
"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD." -Isaiah 55:8
Because let's face it, sometimes what I want stands in the way of what He wants, and the result is I get lost. Without purposefully keeping my eyes on Him I miss out by staying focused on the wrong things.
But, the bible promises that the more I seek him, the more I find him. The more I delight in him, the more the desires of my heart change to line up with his.
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul."- Deuteronomy 4:29
Every single time I have had a revelation that changed the way I viewed Abba, or the world, or the bible, or people, it had to do with me being willing to make a choice and take a step into the unsure while trusting God to meet me there.
The truth is that God is with us always, so He doesn't have to "meet us" but when we ask him to "meet us" we are actually asking for our eyes to be open to His presence.
My prayer now, for the rest of my time on the race, and once I get back to America is that I would continue to make the choice to keep my eyes open. To invite him into every day, every hour, every situation and to see how He is working to make all things work together for my good.
When I visit a sick person, to pray for healing in His name.
When I see people who are hungry to invite Him in to nourish their souls, and pray about and discern if I'm apart of that provision.
When I see children without mommies and daddies to ask him to wrap his arms around them, and ask him to burden my heart to pray for a forever family to come to them.
When I see the body of Christ hurting to pray for unity and for Him to show me how I can serve them.
The scenarios are endless. But He is everywhere, we need only to open our eyes to Him and the things that matter.
I know many people will notice this change and think I've taken it too far, and say that I choose to make everything super spiritual. But what I know is that Jesus never separated the spiritual from reality while he was on this earth. Spiritual is his reality, and now that I'm learning to see through His eyes the spiritual is my new reality that can't be separated.
It's worth the risk.
Will you make the choice to shine His light by keeping your eyes opened with me? I can promise you one thing: its worth it!
"This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."-Ephesians 5:14
