How did the World Race change my life?
Well, to be honest: it didn’t.
Years ago, before I’d even heard of the World Race, I heard a whisper. That whisper declared I was destined for something big. God had big plans in store for me. He didn’t reveal them to me at the time. His request was simple: to say yes when He did. A year later, I packed my bags for Georgia and headed off into the unknown. The thought was there: was this what God had whispered about? Instantly the notion was erased. No, this was not my something big.
The World Race was a mere 11 months out of the 355 that I’ve experienced. That’s 3%. With each passing day, that 3% dwindles. Now, don’t get me wrong, that 3% was a dense 3%. It may even have been my favorite 3%. It was full of adventure, full of life, full of community. It stretched me. It broke me. It built me up, and then broke me again. It taught me to love, to give, and to cry. I learned that relationships are more important than timelines. I learned that tears are as important as laughter and that God is as present in the world today as He was when He walked the earth 2000 years ago.
God packed a punch into that 3%, but it didn’t change the trajectory of my life any more than college did or moving to Tulsa did or changing careers did. I came home, and life marched on.
I meet new people on a daily basis. Few of them know I went on the Race. I talk about it occasionally, as it arises in conversation. But that’s rare these days. But every single day, I talk about Christ. Few have heard me talk about my journey to 11 countries in 11 months, but everyone hears me talk about God.
Why is this?
It’s because the World Race didn’t change my life. God did.
My life was forever changed the moment I decided to follow Christ. That single decision altered my path forever. It is my defining moment. I refuse to believe that God’s vision of “big” would refer to an ever-shrinking 3% of my life. But I am absolutely convinced that without it, I would be incapable of saying yes when the time comes and my something big is before me. The World Race didn’t change the trajectory of my life; I began on that trajectory when I committed my life to Christ.
God, in a whisper, gave me a vision for what my life will be. He asked me to prepare. He demanded I ready myself. The World Race is the tool I chose for that purpose. It is the bulk of the experience section on my spiritual resume. The time will come when God sets his plans before me and asks, “Daughter, this is it. Are you ready?” And because of the Race, I will, with confidence, say yes.
