You ever have that moment where you’re on the dance floor and feeling totally like a rock star and then you see a picture of yourself and think “oh my goodness, what was I doing?” That is how I felt when I got to the airport last week to check in for my flight to launch. Now, anyone who knows me understands I am the furthest thing from a minimalist (my dad can confirm this) but I was pretty impressed with my packing. I had given up tons of things I had originally wanted to bring and was feeling pretty impressed with myself and have minimal my packing turned out to be, until I got to the airport. When I put my pack on the scale, it was 53lbs! I was in shock! How could this happen? I packed barely anything? Lol. We all have those moments where we have to come to reality with the fact that we are either not good at something or we just didn’t make the goal we were shooting for. These aren’t moments I like, and have a hard time tolerating. However, whether I liked it or not, I had to get this pack smaller. I began to ask myself, “What could I take out?” Of course my answer was nothing! It was at this moment I began to ask myself…am I really cut out to do this? After a few deep breaths and some skittles therapy, I put myself together and got on the plane. Once arriving in ATL, my amazing squad sister (Shelby Thayer) picked me up with her friend Sarah. We went to another racers house to hang out until our first session began. While there, I shared with them my agony about my heavy bag and how I was more than confident it was a hopeless case because I wasn’t able to part with anything in my bag. However, Sarah (I now refer to her as the packing Nazi) helped my pack lose 8lbs! It was like the Biggest Loser World Race Edition. I forced myself to say NO! No Tiff, you don’t need these items. Its funny how we get so attached to things. We feel like we NEED so many things that honestly we have more than we actually need. After losing weight, I felt pretty good about myself. I came to the honest reality that I will never be a minimalist and I probably won’t ever work at REI, but I didn’t care. I got my pack less than 50lbs and I was happy.
Off to launch we went! We spend the next four days in session after session, training after training, service after service. We were prepared with all the information we would need to make this a successful and worthwhile experience. We covered all the spiritual items we needed in place to rise up to where God wanted to bring us this year. We were informed on the basic and practical safety tips we need to stay safe on foreign soil. We were taught the best ways to learn to love each other well and build a healthy community. We were adequately prepared for this journey…well, at least as prepared as they could make us. I am still in this bubble asking myself twenty times a day “Is this really happening?” The goodbyes were behind me, well at least for the most part. My wonderful and supportive parents came down to launch with me to play a part in this journey with me. I am more grateful than this blog could relay on how appreciative I am of them and how much they mean to me. But the time had come to say the final goodbye. The “cry bubble” have been in my tummy all week and I was dreading this send off. The last day we went to lunch together right before we would part ways for nearly a year. That bubble had moved to my throat and I lost it. The tears started to pour and my face was soon a sloppy, wet mess. I love these people so much. My family is the most valuable thing I have in this life, next to my salvation in Christ of course. My heart ached as I hugged their necks over and over, as if I could store them up. As much as I wanted to go, the leaving is the worst. I had already kissed my precious nieces and nephews for the last time, cried in my sister’s arms and left my dearest friends behind. Sacrifice. It costs to serve the Lord. It costs you to walk with Jesus. God required Jesus to sacrifice His life as a part of the Father’s plan for Him and the world, but it’s funny how we don’t think He will require it of us. We assume He only wants our lives to be filled with rainbows and butterflies and happiness all the time. We have this misunderstanding that a life with God couldn’t lead you to leave everyone you love behind, to let go of everything you know and even require your very life! I am ever more reminded of the great cost that comes with serving the Lord. I am starting to understand more the great price that comes with those red letters. Go and preach the Gospel to all nations and peoples. Love your neighbor as yourself. If someone sins against you, forgive him 490 times over again. These are just some of the requirements for saying yes to salvation. None of these are easy and most of the time they aren’t fun. But I suppose neither was hanging naked bloody on a cross. I am ready to take this kingdom journey. I am ready to, in some small way, share in my Master’s suffering. I am ready to lose myself, my expectations and ideals and even my very way of life. If it’ll give me a chance to become like my Savior, and to bring His great love to those who need it the most. So this is it people, I am officially on the World Race and the greatest journey God’s ever taken me on – YET! I challenged you to ask Him what journey He wants to take your on this year. What are the sacrifices He’s asking of you and what are the ways He wants you to step out? He loves us all and has great plans for each of us if we will only accept His call to take His words to heart and act on them.
