3 months down! It is crazy to think we are finished in South America. God has taught me a lot in these first 3 months. He has given me a theme for each of these months which summarize what He has been teaching me and walking me through.
Ecuador was a month of forgiveness.
Peru was a month of learning to fear (respect) The Lord.
Bolivia was a month of praise and worship.
As I have been reflecting on these past 90 days, I’ve realized that the lessons He has been teaching me don’t stop there. The following list are some of the things I have learned (often the hard way!) on the race, that are shaping me into the person God intended me to be.
1) God’s plan is greater, even if I try to deny it. So often we try to maintain control of our lives, despite the fact that God calls us to completely abandon what we know and trust Him. Here on the race we are put in many uncomfortable situations. That may be with your monthly living conditions, or doing a ministry that you hate, or being on a squad with people who drive you crazy. No matter what it is, I am learning to trust that God has me in each particular situation to grow me in some form or another. This has brought me to a deeper place of humility and trust, for what do I know? I’m just a 21 year old guy, did I create the universe? Oh right, I didn’t, then I should definitely trust the God who did…
2) God only expects me to be me: Nothing more. Nothing less. I have always lived my life as a chameleon. I would change my appearances and actions to please the people around me. I always perceived external expectations that I could never meet and this always left me feeling like a failure. God has set me free of those expectations. In His eyes I am enough. I no longer need to seek external approval, everything I need comes from God. All I need to do is walk with Him, what an incredible freedom! This has been one of the greatest victories in my soul.
3) To feel loved is to feel heard and understood. So often the greatest display of love is just to be present and listen. Take deep breaths, set aside your needs, and give your undivided attention to hearing and understanding the people around you. What a simple, yet beautiful display of affection.
4) Jesus died to forgive ALL of my sins. I used to look at the laundry list of my sins and feel guilt and shame. “How could God truly forgive me for that!”. Those thoughts became a useful weapon for satan to keep me distracted. I have truly learned what it means to be forgiven. Jesus died to forgive ALL of my sins, and in Him I am a new creation. This has allowed me to walk forward in freedom and to start seeing who I am in God’s eyes.
5) A true leader serves from his knees. The only way to truly lead people is to always seek to serve them from a humbled heart. This was a wonderful lesson I learned while serving as a leader during our squad Manistry month. The men on our squad are incredible, and each of them are blessed with such strong leadership qualities. The Lord provided this opportunity for me to learn to honor them and serve them. It was such a great growth opportunity for me to humble myself and strive to love them all like Jesus did.
6) Don’t compare yourself to others. Envy is a strong weapon for the enemy. I used to constantly compare myself to others, and I always fell short of their mark. That is because it wasn’t MY mark. God has a unique plan and story for my life and it is just MINE! When I keep my eyes on Him and what He is doing in me, I find peace in my heart. I am becoming comfortable with who God created me to be. This has opened my heart to always love my peers and help encourage them to become the people God intended them to be. We are all created individually and we are part of the body of Christ. We all have different skills and abilities God has gifted us with to bless His Kingdom. I am happy to be the man God is creating me to be and I wouldn’t want to be anything else.
7) Your outlook is everything. The World Race can be extremely unpredictable. I often find myself in uncomfortable situations such as riding in the bed of a truck with 19 people, or sleeping on a concrete floor on a flat sleeping pad. Whatever the situation may be, I have an opportunity to embrace the lesson unfolding before me and make the best of it, or I can sit on the pity pot. The decision to choose joy at these crossroads has made the difference in my race. I am open for anything God will throw at me and as a result I am having the time of my life. The attitude that you approach a situation with sets the tone for the outcome. Choose joy. Always.
8) When someone or something annoys me, that is often an area I can grow in. Here on the race we have what we call “feedback”. These are constructive observations to call each other higher into the image of Jesus. This does not include picking apart the aspects of someone’s personality that annoy us. I have really come to understand this through living in community. The qualities or behaviors in other people that annoy me are usually areas in which I can grow in some way to learn to truly “love my neighbors”. Don’t be so quick to judge others and write them off as annoyances, God may have them in your life to teach you a valuable lesson.
9) It is O.K to be vulnerable. Along with my chameleon act I had what I classified as “Superman Syndrome”. This was the fear of ever appearing weak and having flaws. Vulnerability was one of my biggest fears because it would destroy the facades I had built over the years. I quickly learned that when living in a close knit community, you can’t hide your crap for long. I made the decision to embrace my insecurities and weaknesses head on. Did the people around me despise me and reject me like I had always feared? NO. They actually loved me more because I was a real person with them. They all see me for who I really am and continue to encourage me in becoming a true man of God. Embracing your weaknesses and brokenness provides God an opportunity to build you His way. Vulnerability is a beautiful thing.
10) It’s not my story, It is God’s story. To be quite honest, I have made some dumb decisions. I haven’t particularly loved each and every aspect of my story, but guess what? It is not my story! It is God’s story, and what a beautiful story of redemption He is writing. How can I be ashamed of the sins I am forgiven for when He has blessed me with a second chance to glorify Him. God wants to use each and every story as a testament to HIS power and for HIS glory. He has taught me not to be ashamed of who I am and what I have been through because our God redeems.
11) Public Speaking Isn’t so scary after All! If you have followed my blog you know this was once one of my big fears. Key word: Once. Through God’s strength I see now that God gave me a voice and my own unique way to share Him, and my fear is no more. Glory to God.
12) Going on the World Race is the best decision I have ever made. For the first time in my life I honestly feel like I am at home. I am surrounded by people who love me for who I am. I have an opportunity to love and serve people from different cultures and backgrounds. I am traveling the world abandoning the comforts of my home to get closer to Jesus. I am broken. I am weak. I am enough. I am becoming the man God intended me to be.
