It's unavoidable in studying the bible that a teacher will give an improper reference to a verse that they intend to support their point. I've seen it happen quite a bit lately, where we will be studying for instance, a teaching about biblical leadership and the teacher will reference Luke 4:27, which reads, "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." I guess someone with a very creative mind can make a link between that verse and biblical leadership, but most people are going to wonder what page you're on and sorta stare off into space with a puzzled look.
That's where I'm at right now with the World Race, because I feel that I'm on a very different page than most everyone else in the process. I'm finding it hard to identify with what everyone is going through, because it doesn't seem like I'm going through the same thing. Maybe it's obvious, I'm most likely in a very different phase of my life than a lot of the other racers, but let me give you some examples.
1. I'm nearly 31 years old and I've been debt-free for a couple years now. I've always been very good at saving money and over the past couple years I've been saving up for a new car or a down-payment on a house or something to that effect. Every winter, I expect my car to kick the bucket, but the ingenuity of Saturn engineering continues to exceed my expectations. Last I checked, I have over 265,000 miles on the thing, and it won't quit! I expected it die about 50,000 miles ago, but it's purring along like it's got a mere hundred grand on it. So, you could say I'm financially in a better situation than I thought I would be in and I'm able to finance the entire year on the World Race without having to raise any support. In addition to this, my employer promised me a position at my company when I come back. Unexpected favor! Financial peace!
2. Everyone I've spoken to has been at least interested in what I'm doing, if not outright supportive. My parents are supportive, my sisters are supportive, my friends are supportive, my enemies… well, maybe not. I have gotten only positive feedback from my decision to go on the world race. The owner of my company encouraged me to go. Surprisingly, the people I thought I would receive the most resistance from have been the most encouraging to me. Unmerited favor! Peace that surpasses understanding!
3. The entire process of application has been natural and almost effortless. I didn't have to wrestle my way through anything, the few anxieties I have experience have subsided. Every reason to fear or doubt has been wiped clean. The interview went surprisingly well. The rest of the process has been more of a checkers game than a chess game, no need to agonize over strategy, just make the next obvious move. My passport took twelve days from the time of submitting the application to receiving it in hand, without having to expedite. I have had offers of housing post-race, unsolicited offers for financial support that I don't need, multiple offers to provide storage for my belongings free of charge. Every reason to worry, fear or be anxious has been thrown into the ocean and plunged to the very bottom beyond recovery. I have known nothing but grace and peace from step one until now. Has every moment been absolute assurance? No, but every time I have worried or doubted, I have soon understood that it was very foolish to do so.
At this point, my mind's starting to play tricks on me. If this is all so easy, isn't it probably your will and not God's, hmm? If you're not experiencing spiritual warfare in the form of great anxiety and doubt and opposition, then something's gotta be wrong. My response is just to smile and shrug. Yes, I want to go on the World Race. It seems like a great idea! What better than to travel the world to eleven different countries and live out of a backpack for a year? And look how things are lining up! Isn't that the stuff dreams are made of? So, I do have a lot of selfish reasons to go, perhaps. But throughout the whole process I've been careful to ensure I have a pure heart in the matter and not to go for selfish reasons.
There are more things I could add to the list, but what it comes down to is I feel decidedly distant from the current experience of my teammates. But, I suppose the truth of the matter is, I ought not allow that perceived distance to cause me to become introspective and to put myself in a category other than the one I constantly find myself in: A little child who is perfectly loved by a holy God. That seems to be the conclusion of everything that has happened over the past year; that despite circumstances of life, trials and temptations, my own sins and shortcomings; despite decisions made by other people, failing relationships, and the whirlwind chaos that unravels around me every day, there is an overruling authority that makes all these things secondary. That authority is the truth of Jesus Christ. In his words, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." Though I am inconsistent, though every day is inconsistent, though nothing makes sense, yet I take comfort in the truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and that these passing trials are merely opportunities to prove how great God's grace is. So, no longer does it matter that I feel horrible, that I've had a bad week or a good week, that I am running the wrong way or walking the right way. I have found the freedom that allows me to take myself out of the equation which decides whether or not my current venture in life will be successful. The solution to that equation is that Jesus Christ is all, and in all. Not only has he overcome the problem of the world, he has overcome the problem of me and I can joyfully walk forward knowing he is faithful to bring to completion everything he has begun.
