Gratitude

As hard as it is for me to believe, I’ve now been a part of the World Race for over two months now! I feel like life has been non-stop since then, as I’m sure it is for everyone with the craziness of busy schedules, politics, the pandemic, school, etc… Thankfully though, God has been doing some awesome things through this mission, and I felt led to share it.

One of my favorite songs recently has been “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake and I feel like that song captures so much of this season of my life, particularly with the World Race. God has been making it abundantly clear that He has been, and always will be, providing reasons to express gratitude, even in a year like 2020. Like most, so many things didn’t go as planned this year, which caused me to adopt the attitude of being “over 2020” that seemed to be so common around me. However, my eyes got opened to how God has been working in life, and I couldn’t help but change my attitude to one of Gratitude and thankfulness.

The first and most important reason for gratitude is that the God of the universe loves us enough to send His son to die for our sinful world, so that He could live and work in the heart of believers. That in itself provides a reason to choose gratitude, but we serve a God of details that cares about providing blessings and joy in our everyday lives. He’s provided me an amazing job and amazing coworkers that pushed me to missions in the first place. He provided the desire and enough courage to commit to a life-changing opportunity of service. He’s provided countless loving people who have been open and willing to support me through prayer and financial help. He’s provided great friendship and community, both at home and all around the country with my race teammates. He’s provided peace when everything around me seems to provide just the opposite. He’s provided family that wants to fully support me, regardless of where I go or what I do. He’s provided people that love me and are willing to push me to stay motivated when the easy answer is to slow down. He’s provided joy and excitement that far outweighs the fears and worries that I’m tempted to feel about almost anything that the next 18 months have in store. 

I believe that God does a lot of His work through His people, and that has never been more evident to me. Thanks to all of you, I am more than 75% funded for my mission!! The amount of people who have wanted to contribute and support me has been amazing to see. I have been left literally speechless several times by different people’s generosity. I could have never imagined this much support, and I’m so thankful for it! I’m thankful to God for remaining always faithful and providing a way to pursue this opportunity. I’m also thankful for all of you, who have chosen to join in this mission with me. This mission would not be possible without you! This amazing opportunity is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality!

As I spend time with family and reflect on the birth of our savior, I can’t help but live with gratitude. God is so good!!