Here’s a blog I got to co-write with a few of my B Squad participants!
Sometimes the Lord does the same thing and it’s totally not the same. But it’s because we are all the same and totally not the same.
What I mean is, we’re all His children and He loves us all the same, but also not.
Make sense?
No?
Let’s see if these stories from my friends can clear it up.
“India was hot. Really hot. I loved my ministry, my team, and my host. I did not, however, love myself.
I’d come face to face with some deeply rooted shame and inadequacy and found myself desperately needing rest. I was afraid my pursuit of rest would be mistaken for laziness and I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice my reputation as a hard worker for a few moments of peace.
So, I brushed my feelings aside and pushed through until one day, burnt out and broken, I finally chose to stay behind while my team went out for ministry.
Even in the silence after they walked away, my mind was loud. I walked for a while, hoping to clear my mind of the stresses and responsibilities that had become the source of more pressure than I could handle.
As I walked, I looked across the rice field and all my thoughts were interrupted:
a water buffalo stood off in the distance.
Childlike excitement immediately overcame the thoughts that had clouded my mind before. I ran across the field toward the huge animal and with each step my excitement and joy grew.
The thing is, I’d become so focused on responsibilities and so afraid of failure that I’d forgotten what it felt like to be free like a child. When I saw the water buffalo, hope woke up inside of me. As I ran toward him, joy woke up inside of me.
I realized I really am a child of God, and I really do have permission to rest in him, and he really is doing all he can to show me that he loves me–regardless of my fears or my failures.
Of all the fields in all the world, I was walking through this one.
Of all the fields in all the world, there was a water buffalo in this one.
Of all the women in all the world, God was choosing to place me in that field at that time just so I could be reminded of his extravagant, overwhelming, freeing love.
He’ll do whatever it takes.”
(Amy Heitzman)
“Last month in Serbia, my very first country of my World Race, I had it all: amazing teammates, an amazing host, good times with ministry, and good early morning workouts. And I loved every moment of it. What more could I need?
Or so I thought.
I realized about 2 weeks in that I hadn’t spent intimate moments with the Lord even though I thought I had been. It was something that I longed for so I began to ask God to show me ways to become closer to Him.
One day I was riding a bike with no mission, just going wherever the good Lord took me, and that’s when it happened.
I found a simple and yet beautiful dirt road which led to so many intimate moments with Him.
Dirt roads to me are peaceful yet fun, a place I can relax and laugh, a place where I’ve had plenty of good memories. Another home for me if you will. If I see a dirt road I’m liable to go down it just for another fun adventure.
All that to say, God knows what you need. Obey and ask and you will receive.”
(Zach Lambert)
“I breathe in deep, the fresh air fills my lungs.
The breeze blows against my face.
The waves are roaring in front of me.
My feet are squishing in the sand.
The seagulls sound in the distance.
If I’m lucky then the sun is shining down on me.
I know that this is home.
When I came on the race I had no clue when I would be reunited with the beach, especially in Eastern Europe. That’s just not something you would typically find.
This place isn’t just a beach though, to most it seems like a place of vacation or pretty views. To me, it’s the soul-deep joy that fills me.
The Lord knows this too because I found myself in month two of the race on the beach of the Black Sea. I was also reminded He brought me the joy of finding the beach in Serbia during month one.
You see, it may just seem like the average day at the beach or just another adventure day in a foreign country but it was so much more. Those beach days found me when I was feeling the lowest I could feel. They found me when I was the most homesick for comfortable and familiar things, they found me when I doubted what I was doing on the race at all. They came because the Lord knew that small detail about me and wanted to remind me that He loves me and that He sees me even when I’m in the darkest places. He was showing me that He adores me and really those little things have no actual purpose except to bless us.”
(Brandi Teeney)
Now do you see?
The Lord did the same thing, three different ways!
Amy, Zach, and Brandi all needed rest. They needed closeness with their Father. They needed to be reminded of His love for them. And each received it, but in a way unique to their own personality. Their own identity.
And the Lord wants to do the same for you.
He is doing the same for you.
Do you recognize it?
Ask Him how He is loving you and He will be sure to show you. Do you know why? Because fathers love to show how much they love their children, just as children love to be shown it.
And in that, we’re all the same, just as we are different.
Check out Drew, Zach, and Brandi’s blog sites, too:
http://zachlambert.theworldrace.org/
http://branditeeney.theworldrace.org/
http://drewdahlsten.theworldrace.org/
