Are You Ready to Run?
Taking in the Beauty of God’s Masterpiece
Month 5 – Montenegro
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The view from our house in Montenegro
“Are you ready?” I ask Paris and Danielle as they walk through the kitchen in our house in Montenegro. “Listo,” Paris replies…the Spanish from our first three months on the race follows us into every other country we enter. It’s time for one of my favorite parts of the day, running along the coast of Montenegro. We start our walk down the first part of an ever so steep hill, looking forward to the 4 mile run, 2 miles to town and 2 miles back. Half way down, six feet pick up speed, swiftly gracing the pavement with every stride. We run. We chase the endless teal Adriatic coast. When we reach this coastal painting, we turn right, and dive into the beauty. Pure fresh sea air energizes our lungs while our feet conquer the landscape with every stride. Jumping over puddles, running on rock walls by the sea, it is liberating. I can’t help but wonder at the beauty that is Montenegro.
Paris, Danielle, and I jumping into the Adriatic Sea – On normal days, we ran along the coast.
Each morning is a painting painted by our God just for us. What I see is different than those around me. It has never looked like this and will never look like this again. This is His creation, only a small part of His beauty exemplified.
One morning, we meet an Italian gypsy family and a woman wants to read our palms and tell our future. We obviously say, “No gracias,” in our best Spanish because somehow our Spanish plus her Italian equals a conversation. Go figure. We befriend this woman and on our last day in Montenegro, we see her again, and tell her about the love of Jesus Christ. Her face, colored dark by the sun and the vibrant floral patterns that dance off of her clothes are forever painted in my memory with the Adriatic coast as her back drop. This is an intentional meeting designed by the Father, as He pursues His creation, His masterpiece.
The view from the castle in Kotor, Montenegro – We climbed 1,300 steps.
Another day, on this same route, we go on a prayer walk. One step at a time, our feet walk the same path, though for a different reason. With each step, we claim this ground for Christ. We rebuke the enemy and His hold on Montenegro and pray His presence, His love, His glory to fill this place. We pray that His glory would be revealed to the fishermen when they raise their crates out of the sea. We pray for the salvation of the people we pass by. We pray for each person living in these houses, the people in each of these rooms, looking out of that window.
God, reveal Your beauty to them. When they look at Your masterpiece, draw them back to the truth. Put questions in their minds for their current beliefs if they don’t have a relationship with You. We claim this city, this country, for Christ. Amen.
The sun setting on the coast where we ran every morning
At the end of our walk lie treasures untold. Glimmering in the light of the sunset, sea-glass decorates the beach with colors of emerald, azul, and aqua. As I look at the unique treasures, the Lord reveals something to me. Each of these pieces of glass represents a person in Montenegro. Each piece we find is a person the Lord is pursuing and wants to be His. And His they will be. His love is so fierce and His pursuit of us so strong that we cannot help but to buckle under the passion of His love.
The Lord asks me to paint His coast in Montenegro. He asks me to claim Montenegro and the people here for Him, to pray as I paint this city, this country. In an effort to capture His beauty and His love for these people, I paint. Our team comes together one day at a park by the beach. God used His design, team Ensemble, to be the hands and feet of Jesus and bless the people around us. Paris plays the guitar. Danielle plays the Ukulele. Sean sketches cartoons for kids. Heather and Alex pray for those around us, and… I paint. Each person is a paint brush, each talent, a color. Our unique gifts are unified in love. God moves each one of us on this Montenegro canvas to make His design, His masterpiece.
