Yes

Yes. A singular exclamation used to give an affirmative response. A singular exclamation we use to make decisions. The exclamation I used nearly six months ago when I was asked to join the World Race team. Yes. My favorite three letter word that holds some serious weight – especially when used during conversations with the Father. Who knew all my yeses would lead me here? Him, duh.

Let me be straight up, God. I don’t know how I’m feeling right now. I’m an hour away from the Adventures in Missions headquarters in Gainesville, GA – aka the place You created to help prepare me for the months ahead, and the place that’s going to turn my entire life upside down in a short two weeks. I’m sitting in the backseat, my parents in the front. God, You knew I would be sitting here on September 2nd of 2023, driving to WR training camp. You knew that I would need these two people infront of me to get here. You trusted that they would deliver me to this moment, and as I sit here, unsure of which emotion I’m feeling the most, I still find peace. Every place I’ve lived, every conversation I’ve had, every person I’ve loved, every stranger I’ve met, every single yes… all of it has led me to this moment. It’s a beautiful realization – to know You go before Me. You have hand-picked every squadmate and every ministry host. You’ve orchestrated every conflict, every conversation, and every saved life. You know the names of every friend I will make this year, You know where I will rest my head at night, and You know my travels and my destinations. I’ll bet that when You created me, You gave me a love for adventure on purpose for this very opportunity. You knew I would say yes, and You knew that I would allow Your promises to comfort me through the unknowns of my future. 

No one promised it would be easy to pack up and go. I guess that’s why many people choose not to. If it was easy, everyone would know the name of Jesus. But it’s not. In fact, in Luke 9 the Lord tells a huge group of people, “Anyone who comes to Me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters – yes, even ones own self! – can’t be My disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind Me can’t be My disciple.” I realize the World Race is an awesomely drastic display of this statement. The Lord doesn’t literally mean you have to move away from everyone you love to be a disciple, He just means you must deny them any control over your life. You must deny yourself any control over your life, too. For He must be in control. He just so happened to ask me to move away from everyone I love, and in choosing to give Him the control He was longing for, I said yes. Maybe He knew this is what it would take for me to stop playing halfsies. I have not the slightest idea of what the next 11 months will look like, but I’m renouncing all that I have, God.

We’re pulling in.

God: “You ready?”

Me: “Yes.“