Life is a journey of next steps and looking toward the future. I am constantly looking at my schedule to see what “big plans” I have coming up. Most of the time they are rather small like, When’s my soccer team playing and can I watch the game, everything begins to revolve around that. Other plans are rather large and require more planning, like travel. Right now my sister and I are planning on taking a road-trip in a few weeks to see my brother and sister in law, who are expecting in just a few short weeks. This requires asking off of work, making sure the car is ready to go and if I have money in the budget to make the 4 day trip.
So often in life we look forward to what’s next that we don’t enjoy the here and now and miss things God has for us.
Since starting this journey toward the World Race, I have fallen into that trap. The trip itself is going to be amazing, full of new exotic foods, new beautiful places that I’ve never been to and amazing new friends. For a few months I had lost sight of what God has for me here.
In October, when I was living in TN, I was accepted to the World Race; It felt so unreal and so far away. My excitement grew and grew, I started to look at all of the gear I’d have to buy, I started full of enthusiasm sending out support letters. And in early December I moved back to KY to live with my grandparents to get a job here and save the money I’d be paying to rent a place. My plans while somewhat successful, were not exactly what God had in mind. I had a great time with my grandparents during Christmas and the new year. I had worked for a few weeks during the Christmas season here close to home, but it was only a seasonal position and I finished that job in late December.
In mid January everything changed; my grandpa, who had been diagnosed with Cancer over a year before, was getting blood transplants and taking chemo trying fight the cancer passed away rather suddenly after a week in the hospital suffering terrible headaches and a series of strokes. Life for all of my family changed. But God had a plan. Had I had a full time job during the time my grandpa was in the Hospital I wouldn’t have been able to help my grandpa get to the ER or stay in contact with all of my family members, immediate and extended who don’t live here. It was all God’s timing for me.
Life was really hectic for a few months and I fell of the wagon concerning my support raising and planning for the World Race. I had a job for a very short amount of time in Covington, KY after my Grandpa died but didn’t enjoy it too terribly much. In late February I contacted, the Creation Museum, where I worked for a couple of weeks in December. God opened up a job for me that I love working in their Petting Zoo department. God has provided some great people who are incredibly encouraging and will be longtime friends. I will be able to work this job pretty much up until I drive to Georgia for the World Race Launch.
God used all of the change in January with the passing of my grandpa and His provision of good steady work in early March to teach me. He taught me that His timing is perfect, and He has a plan even when we can’t see it. I am still incredibly excited about the World Race, as I should be, but I shouldn’t let that distract me from where I am at right now, here in northern KY.
I was Reading Romans 12 today and it fits perfectly with my journey toward and what the World Race itself will be. As Christians we are all a part of the body of Christ, we all have our talents and our calling. Where God leads us, the doors He opens and closes, The people we meet, God can use all of that where ever we are to speak His word.
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
All throughout life we face hard times, whether that is directly with our suffering or indirectly with others that we love are suffering. My whole family suffered when we lost my grandpa, but we know there is Hope, we will see Him again. We are patiently waiting on God when we go through hard times; He will show Himself and give us peace. And finally we must remain faithful in prayer; it is a hard thing to do sometimes when life gets so busy, and full of our own plans. Take time out, spend it with God. This is a lesson I desperately need to learn, one my Grandpa had learned and embodied His whole life. Devoted to God and serving others.
