the what, the why, and the calling

hello beautiful friends, welcome to my blog! 

Let me just start by saying thank you. Thank you to those who will and have prayed over me, to those who will donate, to those who will read my blog, and to everyone in between. It is because of your unwavering love and support that I can proudly announce what I am about to say next! 

Ladies and gentlemen, I’M GOING ON THE WORLD RACE: GAP YEAR! For those that aren’t sure what that is, let me explain. The World Race: Gap Year (WRGY) is a nine month mission trip overseas. During this nine months i will spend 3 month is Swaziland, three months in Thailand, and three months in Nicaragua (my goal is to be able to spell Nicaragua w/out using spell check by the time I return.) While there, my team and I will be partnering with churches and ministries in local communities to spread the Gospel of Christ through building churches, working in orphanages, ministering to women and children trapped in the grips of human trafficking, and bringing hope and a chance of restoration to the children of God all over the globe.

How did I come to find myself signed up and accepted in the world race? Well it’s a good thing you asked because that is exactly what I am about to tell you. 

It was around Christmas last year (2017) that I began to realize that Liberty University wasn’t where the Lord wanted me long term. I wasn’t doing exceptional in my classes, my run time for ROTC surely was not getting any better regardless of how hard I worked and I became tired and frustrated. It was around this time that I started to looking into the World Race. I remember calling my mom and bawling my eyes out as I explained to her that things weren’t going well and that I thought I was being called elsewhere. Fast forward, one thing led to another and I was no longer a student at Liberty, and back home in Alabama without a plan for the following semester. (to read my full story about Liberty University, please click the link and read a previous blog I wrote on a friends page- I will probably be referring to this season of my life quite often — https://veryfarfromprimandproper.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/when-the-pieces-dont-fit/?fbclid=IwAR3Nqs2nRArsJjOgV1CmWDA9FUNrfKScwQUEwF26F86us0u14nZjRNJGCek) I  dived into researching other schools and other nursing programs and ultimately landed on one that I liked. I was happy and content with my plan. But sometimes, friends, God seeks us out when we aren’t even looking for Him. On November 10, my mother made a comment in passing about the World Race. That night, my heart was torn as I entered into my prayer time. I read My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers like usual when it said:

     “I have to learn that the aim in life is God’s not mine. God is using me from His great personal standpoint and all He asks of me is to trust Him. When I stop telling God what I want, He can catch me up on what He wants without let or hinderance. He simply asks me to have implicit faith in Himself.”

So I stopped and asked the Lord what He wanted, and He said “you.” And then I asked where he wanted me, and He said “the ends of the earth.” And I, being the stubborn-hearted fool that I am, I told God that if he was calling me to the World Race, He was going to have to give me a sign. And being the understanding and faithful God he is, He did just that. 

The next day at church, my pastor, Angelia Waite, spoke on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. (Heres’s a link to the passage for you to read https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A14-30&version=ESV) 

In the parable, the Master distributes the talents, a measurement of weight usually meant to describe gold or silver, to his servants based on ability. When the Master returns from his trip, he asks his servants about his talents. The servant with 5 talents and the servant with 2 talents both had collected double that which they were given. Both were good stewards of the Master’s talents, and were rewarded by the Master when he said “Well done, my good and faithful servants.” However, the servant that was only given one talent, wasn’t so lucky. You see, he buried his talent instead of profiting off of it as the others had done. Because of this, the master was upset and took the talent away. 

God allows us opportunities to create “interest” or profit off of the abilities He has given us. When we act on those abilities we are blessed and set above much, but when we sit back in fear, like the one and don’t act on our abilities, God removes them from us. The work of the Lord must be done, with or without me. I had to ask myself, will I aid, or stand in the way? We are accountable for every opportunity we don’t take. And after realizing this, and hearing this sermon, I knew what I needed to do. 

There are fears and unknowns that come with going on the World Race, but when i compare those fears to the joy of knowing and serving Christ Jesus, I find my call. 

And with the utmost obedience, and with a heart of peace that yearns for adventure, for loving others, and for serving Jesus, I say yes to the calling He has placed on my life. 

Thanks for reading 🙂

-j