Yeah, Things Just Got Real.

As I like to put it: ITS PARTY TIME!!!!!!!! 

January 2nd and month five of my race began in Spokane, Washington: the last place I would have ever imagined (and if I am going to be really honest also the last place I would have wanted in the middle of my race). 

But if there is only one thing that I leave with after the first half of the World Race, it’s that the Lord doesn’t place dreams on our hearts that He doesn’t mean to fulfill. And they won’t be in your timing or in the way you wanted them to unfold, but there’s no detail designed by God that is unintentional. Fortunately, the Lord’s faithfulness is fully tangible and reminiscent today by the fact that I’m currently hopping onto a direct flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Georgia, Louisiana, Home, back to Georgia, then Costa Rica is absolutely not the route I chose and going international in month five is much less the timing I wanted. But I feel like jumping out of my seat because God is still just as faithful even in the midst of a world pandemic. 

He’s made a way; He has not forgotten about His people.

That means I’ve shoved the next five months of my life into a 35lb bag and a carry on. I remember 4 months ago when I flew to Atlanta to start my race and I had a 46+ lb bag that I would have shoved my whole room into if I could have. I could hardly pick that thing up. 

But during my 3.5 months in the middle-of-nowhere Gainesville, Georgia, the Lord met me in a new way. I was reminded that in Matthew 10:9-10, He said to His disciples that were being sent out into the world for the first time, “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts, no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” And I think we would be missing the point if we focused on the exact amount of clothes or money that He said should line their pockets; rather, it’s a simple call not to miss an opportunity to see God move because we already have more than we need. Space to see God palpably meet our needs; replacing God as our comfort, not things. 

And Jesus challenged me not to miss this chance either. We don’t need complicated equipment to preach a simple gospel. And if I, the preacher, can’t trust God to meet my needs when they come up, how could I tell someone else to? A personal conviction that is changing my life from the inside out.

So this time I’m hopping onto a plane to Costa Rica with my life for the next five months stuffed into a 35lb bag and a carry on. Dropped a few extra pounds for heaven to fill. And yeah, probably still brought way more stuff than I could ever need, but that’s where grace steps in.

I am learning lately that often when the Lord calls us somewhere, He leads with the question, “Do you trust me?” And the best part about that question is that God still calls those who He knows can’t fully answer yes yet.