When I was accepted to the Race, one of the things I was most excited about was the chance to blog. I have tried to blog in the past, only to have life get in the way and never end up having time or motivation to keep up with it. I was excited that now I would have a reason other than myself to blog on a regular basis: I needed to communicate to people that were praying for me.
Yet here I am, three months after being accepted, and only having written two blog posts.
I don’t want it to stay this way. I have a responsibility to all of my readers to update you on what changes are happening in my life and how preparations are going. So far, I have not been doing well with that, but hopefully that can change.
My spiritual life has often experienced the same thing. School gets busy, work gets busy, family takes time, and after everything is said and done, and my personal time with God gets pushed down the list of important things to get done every day.
And that isn’t right.
God calls us all to know Him deeply. We can know about God by investigating His amazing creation and seeing all of the wonderful things he has made. However, we can only know Him by reading the Bible.
We also need to know God’s Will for us. Answers in Genesis states “God’s inspired and inerrant Word was given for many reasons: to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and instruct us in righteousness; it was also given so that we may be complete and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17). By reading the Bible on a consistent basis, you can find direction for your life and learn how to best serve the Lord who gave His life for you.”
We are also called to know the Bible to use in defense of our faith. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear
” (1 Peter 3:15).
Daily time spent in the Word is imperative on many levels. In my health class this semester, we have studied the nine dimensions of wellness. These are emotional, physical, environmental, cultural, interpersonal, occupational, financial, mental, and spiritual. These nine dimensions of wellness are all directly linked to each other. A change, no matter how big or small, to any one of these sets off a chain reaction to the rest. Take physical for example. If one gets in a car accident, this will hurt them physically. Being in the hospital would change environment, damage to the vehicle can change financial, depending on the injury it could change occupational, mental and emotional also might be changed, and this all due to a change in one dimension.
My spiritual welfare is more closely linked to the rest of my life than I realize sometimes. As I get lazy in one aspect of my life, I get lazy in everything. If I procrastinate one thing, everything gets put off in favor of something else. However, this can also be changed for the positive.
Making one small change to one aspect of your life can change all aspects when given time to change. Often, I try to change everything all at one time. I try to make time to clean my room, make healthy food, do all of my homework well, read books, and spend plenty of time reading my Bible and praying all at one time. This large of a change is almost doomed from the start because of how much is changed at one time. However, making one small change can lead to a progressively larger one, and that is a change that can be maintained.
I am working to change the spiritual aspect of my life to continue making time spent with God my first and utmost priority.
Starting small can lead to something much bigger. Changing your thoughts can change your attitude. Changing your attitude affects your character. Changing your character changes how you interact with other people and how others see you. Changing how you interact with other people can change another person’s attitude. Soon, these changes in your life change those immediately around you, and change those around them, and in time this can change the world – just by starting with something small.
To me, that is what this trip is about. I am not going to change the world. I am going to change a life. If I can make a difference on just one life while on this trip, it all will have been worth it.
And this is what I pray that God will help me to remember in every aspect of my life.
I pray I will be diligent to stick with the small changes and let these naturally lead to bigger changes.
I pray this will inspire just one person to make a positive change.
I pray that I can change the one aspect of a life that truly matters – improving a relationship with God.
“I alone cannot change the world,
but I can cast a stone across the waters
to create many ripples”
– Mother Teresa
