5 Things I Learned on my First Couple Months of the World Race Gap Year

The squad and me! They’ve been an integral part of my World Race Gap Year learning experience, too!

These are 5 things I’ve learned on my first couple months of the World Race Gap Year! They are in no particular order.

1. “DRAW NEAR TO GOD, AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU…” THE FIRST PART OF JAMES 4:8 SAYS. This is a promise to us! God’s Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). Even when it feels like God is distant, if we are truly pursuing Him, He will honor that. Deuteronomy 4:7 says, “For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?” Wow. What a gift that is!

2. BECOMING INTIMATE WITH GOD REQUIRES TIME AND PATIENCE. Sometimes it feels like I am putting in all this effort to grow close to God, and yet I’m still not feeling His presence, or a closer relationship with Him. I’m learning every day that it is a slow process: one that requires a daily, consistent pursuit of Him. I’m reminded of the song Way Maker. Some of the lyrics say,

“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working

Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working

You never stop, You never stop working.”

I’m learning more and more every day that God is always moving, even when I might not see it or feel it!

3. FOLLOWING GOD IS UNCOMFORTABLE, ALMOST ALL THE TIME. I’m not going to lie, this one hits me hard. I’m constantly searching for comfort in the things surrounding me. It’s not necessarily in an “unhealthy” way, but I’m learning that we can’t rely on earthly, physical things for comfort. We need to keep coming back to God, the source of true comfort. Anything that comes before my relationship with God is an idol. Only when I find everything I need in Christ, can I be truly satisfied, truly “comfortable,” regardless of my circumstances.

4. IN GOD’S KINGDOM, I CAN’T IMPROVE MYSELF BY TRYING HARDER. The only way I will experience change is by growing more intimate with God. This is a lesson that God has taught me before, but He keeps bringing it home again. One day I think to myself, “I want to be less selfish.” So I try to do things to be less selfish, and when I keep failing, I get discouraged and wonder why I can’t seem to change. Then, God reminds me again. My relationship with Him is what will change my actions. Everything I do will flow from my heart, so that’s where I need to start (Luke 6:45). When I’m abiding in Him, He will work on my heart and only then will I see tangible changes in my behavior. Thanks God!

5. WE CAN’T LIVE OFF OF YESTERDAY’S BREAD. In the same way that Jesus said he didn’t live off of bread alone but on every Word from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), we also need daily nourishment from the Word. In the Old Testament, the Israelites couldn’t save their manna, their bread from heaven, for the next day. They had to collect new manna every single day. Truly, we cannot be sustained by yesterday’s revelation. God has been reminding me yet again of how important it is to be renewed by Him daily. His Word is alive and active, and He wants to commune with us. This is a lesson I need to keep coming back to. It’s so hard to make time for God in our lives. But truly, when He’s the most important thing, it’s crucial that we devote our time to Him! I think this is something I will be dwelling on for a while. I’m praying it will stay first and foremost in my mind!

I challenge you to take a moment to reflect on what God has been teaching you through the season you’re in. Have you been taking the time to invest into God? It’s never too late to start drawing near to Him. Even when you might not feel Him, He is right there with you. We’ll need to abandon our comfort, but we can also abandon the pressure that we put on ourselves. God isn’t asking us to perform; He’s asking us to abide in Him, daily.

As a quick update, due to Covid issues, the Adventures in Missions leadership has decided to finish out this semester with virtual teachings, rather than returning to campus for a short time. That means I am back in Florida for now. I will still be flying out to Guatemala in January! Please be praying for the funds I need to raise, and for overall health and safety for both me and my squad. We all need to have negative tests to fly out in January!