Before I get into this blog, I’m going to be honest for a second. Whenever someone asks me “so why are you doing this,” I freak out a little. So when I was asked to write this blog, I freaked out… a lot. Why? Because it’s hard for me to pinpoint those reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I was called to the World Race for a greater purpose, but it is something I find so difficult to put into words. So yes, I freaked out, but then I realized that this blog is a beautiful opportunity; an opportunity to dig deeper and reflect on why I’m doing this, while also opening the eyes of my supporters to my heart behind the World Race.
First things first, I need to address reasons why I am NOT doing this. Something I have noticed from a lot of friends and family is that many people do not understand what the World Race is about. And that’s totally okay, I understand it can be a little confusing. I just want to clarify that I am NOT taking a year off of school to go on an adventure, a vacation, or to “take a break.” It’s going to be the furthest thing from a “year off,” and I know it’s not going to be easy. I’m going to be stuffing my life into a backpack, leaving behind all luxuries, to bring Jesus to people and places that need His light.
So you’re probably wondering, why on earth would a teenage girl voluntarily give up the life she has always known to serve? So here we go. Here is my attempt of putting my “reasons why” into words:
- By abandoning a life of comfort, I want to find my identity fully in Jesus. I want to learn from experience that His love and grace are all I need. Life begins at the end of my comfort zone, and I’m ready to step out into the world.
- I want to grow in relationship with Jesus so that I may feel at home no matter where in the world I am. I want my “home” to be wherever I follow Him.
- I want to show Jesus’ love to people who aren’t aware of it’s power in their lives… To show others that SO much goodness comes from a Christ-centered life.
- I want to be part of something greater than myself, putting the needs of others before my own.
- I want people to know Jesus, because knowing Jesus changes everything. I want faith to transform lives like it changed mine. Bringing one single person closer to Jesus would make the entire 9 months more than worth it.
- To carry out His will on earth. To bring kingdom to all the nations!
- With everything I’ve got, I want to show the world everything He is, and everything that He can do if they let Him into their lives.
- To share the gospel with all creation, even when people tell me to sit down or be quiet.
I thought I was satisfied with these reasons, but I knew something was missing. I almost gave up and just posted this blog with the reasons I just listed, but instead, out of frustration, I reached out to our squad mentor, Jodi, and asked her for advice. She told me to invite the Lord into this question of “why,” asking Him to reveal His reasons. I had already prayed that I may find the right words to use, but I decided to give Jodi’s idea another try. On multiple occasions I sat in a church, or even just outside in my hammock, and asked God to reveal why I am truly doing the World Race. I felt a LOT being spoken to me, and let’s just say they weren’t the same reasons I had come up with. Here are the reasons that the Lord spoke to me:
- To reveal more to you, to show you My face in places where people don’t always see it, and in places where you often forget to look for Me.
- To tie it all together (those are the exact words I got, and I thought about this one a lot. It actually makes a whole lot of sense. Let’s be honest for a second, I don’t know a single teenager who doesn’t feel at least a little bit lost in this period of change. Who knows, maybe the World Race is what I need to make sense of my greater purpose on this earth. Maybe the World Race is what I need to “tie it all together”)
- To show you that I am not confined to the box you put Me in. To show you there is so much more to Me and to this life, because growth begins when you step out of the boat.
- I want to show you life like you’ve never lived it before. I want to show you who I am like you’ve never seen Me before.
- To show you the bigger picture. So far you have only seen a small piece of who I am and who you are. Trust me, there is much more beyond this leap of faith.
- To show you how to give up control, and to show you the grace that comes with letting go.
- To give you a foundation for how to live and how to love for the rest of your life.
- So that you can strip away your own desires, and focus fully on My plans for you. I want you to be able to see all I have and want for you.
- If not you, then who? And if not now, then when?
Over the course of these past two weeks of inviting God into this question (don’t worry, I did NOT get all of that at once), those are the responses I felt placed on my heart. It’s kind of crazy how much I would have missed if I had focused this question only on my own thoughts. Although this blog took two whole weeks to piece together, I am so glad I dug deeper. I am so glad I didn’t just post some fluffy answers that would be easier for my supporters to understand. And I am SOOO glad I took the time to invite the Lord into this question, because His plans and His reasoning behind them are always so much greater than my own.
Now on a completely different note, I have a SUPER amazing fundraising update! If you follow me on Instagram you probably already saw this announcement, but for those of you who don’t…
I HIT $10,000 RAISED FOR THE WORLD RACE!!!! Meeting this goal came so much sooner than I expected, so THANK YOU to each and every one of you reading this. Whether you have donated, prayed for me, or gotten the word out, YOU have gotten me to this point and I am eternally grateful.
More importantly, I still have around $6,600 left to raise, so please continue to pray that God will place it on the hearts of potential supporters to give!
That’s all I’ve got for now, thank you for sticking with me! I love you all more than anything and I am so grateful to have the BEST team of supporters behind me.
Sending love and prayers to all of you!
-Reagan 🙂
