It is absolutely crazy to think that I’ve known I would be going on the World Race for roughly a month. So much changes in one week, heck, in one day. There has, however, been one theme developing that I wanted to share.
This is not just my adventure. That’s as self-centered as it sounds, but it’s worth stating again. This is not just my adventure or any individual racer’s adventure. The decision to go on this trip was never just one I made for me. It is a decision that I made for a large number of people as well. Those people include family, friends, ministry partners, members of my team, and so many others who I have yet to meet. It is a strange realization to see that this is a big deal for more than just the racers. To state differently, it has the flavor of a “well, duh” moment.
Let me try to explain that a little better. When I process through large decisions I prefer to get a lot of feedback from a variety of different sources. In this particular case, my sources included different types of people. I spoke with peers and mentors and received feedback on both ends of the spectrum. Some immediately got fired up and enthusiastically encouraged me to pick this option for my next year. Others were adamantly against the decision for a number of extremely valid reasons. All this to say, I gathered the feedback from each of my sources and spent a great deal of time in prayer. After much deliberation, I finally came to the conclusion that this was what I needed to do for a year. Once that realization was made, a wonderful wave of peace washed over me.
Here’s the thing, I may have felt an immense amount of peace about the choice I was making, but there were still others to consider. In order to make the choice that I did, I had to spend some time with just God to determine if this was correct or not. Now that I am confident of that, my attention must turn outward. My decision means that I will be leaving all of the important people in my life for a 11 months. Those good-byes will be hard. What I would like to emphasize here is the people who will be on the other end of the good-byes. Those people are the highlight of this post. By caring for me, by loving me, and by being a significant part of my life, those people will feel the weight of the decision I have made when I step on the plane in July. That’s not to say that the weight is all bad. The people that care will feel joy and excitement for me because they know it’s the right choice, but there will also be a sense of sadness at my absence. I don’t say that to make myself sound more important. I have been on the other end of this type of adventure. I have said good-bye to a good friend who was abroad for several months. That role brings with it so many mixed emotions and I want to recognize the validity of them.
My point in saying all of this is that I recognize my decision does not belong exclusively to me. Ultimately, I made the decision to help further the kingdom of God. I am blessed beyond measure to have a huge support system of family and friends who love me enough to understand that this is something I need to do. To them and anyone reading this I say thank you.
