I am now only six weeks away from when I will leave for the World Race! I am currently only two weeks away from finishing up my Junior year at ORU. Once I get done with my finals, I will be heading back home to Dayton, Ohio where I will spend the remaining three weeks completing some last-minute preparations for the trip and saying some hellos and goodbyes to friends and family. It is kind of crazy to look back on the last few months and just wonder where all the time went. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was signing up for this trip, and now it is only a matter of weeks away! The Lord has already taught me so much over the last few months and I can’t wait to see the things He is going to continue to show me over this trip. If I am being completely honest, there have been moments over this last semester that have been overwhelming, to say the least. However, it is in the midst of these moments that the Lord has taught me some really important lessons. I always love how the Lord uses some of the most uncomfortable or difficult times in our lives to teach us new things about himself in order to draw us closer to him.
There have been so many different things vying for my attention lately. So many different responsibilities demanding my time. I recently took some time to reflect back on the past semester and one verse the Lord brought to mind was Luke 10:42. It was Jesus’ response to Martha when she was complaining about Mary. He said, “You worry about many things, but only one thing is necessary.” Only one thing is necessary. Even with all of the different things fighting for my attention and focus, only one thing is necessary. That one thing is sitting at the Lord’s feet. How often I try and overcomplicate it. It is not about being a chaplain. It is not about going on mission trips. It is not about getting good grades. It is not about going on the World Race. It is not about growing in spiritual maturity. All these things I offer up to the Lord as sacrifices. All these things I do in “service” to the Lord….but only one thing is necessary. There are many things which try and take my focus or steal my attention, but I am thankful for the words of the Lord that remind me of what is truly important. Relationship with my God. Intimacy with Jesus Christ. Communion with His Spirit. “And this is eternal life, that they may know you and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). It isn’t about going to heaven, it isn’t about going on mission trips, it isn’t about not doing certain things; it is about a relationship with the one true God. It has been my prayer through this semester and will continue to be moving forward that nothing in this life would ever take priority over my relationship with the Lord. May no sacrifice made for the Lord ever be too great. May no desire ever be stronger than my desire for more of Him. May no relationship every come before my relationship with the Lord. I know my natural tendencies and desires run contrary to these things so I pray Psalm 27:4 “Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer” (TPT). For I know that all fruitfulness flows from intimacy with Jesus. So often I try and “chase the fruit” in the things that I do or am able to produce on my own but, “To the one who abides in me, he it is that produces much fruit.” Abiding in him, intimacy with the Lord, relationship with God. That is what it is all about. “He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Sometimes people ask me why I’m going on the World Race or why I want to “be a missionary”. I honestly don’t always know how to answer the question, but the more that I think about it the more the Lord reveals that the answer is very simple. Because I hate to think about what my life would look like without the Lord in it. Because, by the grace of God, I love the Lord more than I love anything else. Because “only one thing is important.” It doesn’t look the same for anyone, but I always want to be in a place where I am able and willing to say ‘yes’ to whatever he may be calling me to do. I don’t ever want to be “too busy” doing something else. May he always be my desire. May I never tire of meeting with him. May I never be satisfied with what I know of him. May I always know that only one thing is important.
