The Time is Near

I can’t believe I can now say, “I’m beginning the World Race in 2 days.” For nearly a year, it’s been a far-away idea, but now that it’s a reality, things look different.

I thought I would be super-duper ready for Launch by the time that it came, but actually, the opposite is true.

After Training Camp, I thought I felt ready for Launch, and kind of wished that I could go straight there from TC and just skip over the entire month of September.

But after the craziness, the wonderful times spent with my team and squad, and the way that I got to see the Lord work at TC, life went back to “normal.” And it felt like anything but.

The things I did on a daily basis before TC felt different. I was itching for something more, but couldn’t quite push myself to actually go out and find it. I was caught up again in a boring daily routine, letting a lot of my time slip away to who knows where.

Now, just a few days away from Launch, I’m feeling nervous. I’m feeling unprepared. I’m feeling afraid of a lot of things: future disappointment in myself or that the World Race won’t be everything I dreamed it would be. Fear that I will fail. Fear that something important will happen in my family, and I’ll miss it. Fear that everything will be different when I come back, but also fearfully hoping that my life will never be the same.

I’m afraid of the difficult goodbyes that I know await me. I’m afraid that I’ll ruin the relationships between myself and my teammates.

I’m afraid that I’ll arrive on the field, and will mess up. That I’ll miss an important opportunity to step up and encourage someone, or tell them about Jesus for the first time. Or that I’ll say the wrong thing, and they turn away from God because of it.

But no matter how much fear I face, I will not turn back. I will face it head on, and I will fight.

I WILL remember that this is something that the Lord has called me to do.

I WILL trust that He is waiting for me in the midst of the storm; all I have to do is step out of my boat.

I WILL rest in the knowledge that He made me, loves me, and has His best in store for me.

I WILL have faith that even when I make mistakes, He will be there to pick me up, dust me off, and set me back on the right path.

Following Christ is not an easy thing to do. It goes against what I thought was a “normal,” successful life: Go to college. Find a job. Find a spouse. Have children. Raise them right. Retire. Travel. Splurge, treat yo’self. Peacefully pass away surrounded by friends and family, knowing I took full advantage of all the joys this world can offer.

But the truth is, the best of this world is NOTHING compared to the joy that can be found in Christ. The trouble is, we must first give up the pleasures of this life to pursue those that surpass all understanding. And that means facing persecution, discomfort, opposition, heartache, and loss. It means stepping beyond what I expect of myself, and living in the true freedom and love that we have through Jesus. And while it is difficult to give up the life I have now, I know that what is waiting on the other side is far more than worth it.

I hope that I will become less and less in my own life, and He will become more and more. That the creator of the universe LOVES ME and that I get to have a personal relationship with Him is crazy to think about, but that doesn’t make it any less true. I AM afraid of leaving my life behind, but I look forward to bringing people all over the world into His presence, so that they may also experience the love, joy, and fullness that he offers each and every one of them.

I want to leave you with this:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24, ESV).

Are you giving Jesus your all, every day? It’s a hard, painful thing to do. But as I said, doing life WITH HIM is worth it because He loves you more than you could ever know.

COMING UP: I fly to Georgia for LAUNCH on Friday!! I’ll be there for a few days for some more training and team time, and we begin our ministry in Santiago on October 11.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I’m so excited to finally begin this journey! And thank you to those who have provided me with financial support. If you feel led to donate and help me finish this Race, please do so above- I have about $7500 to go until I’m fully funded!