I have learned something new about God while on The World Race, and it’s beautiful. Let me explain.
Our lives in the modern day of interconnectedness and productivity are full of tasks, projects, thoughts, work, unrest; etc.
A few weeks ago my squadmates and I were up at 3:30 A.M. getting dressed and ready to leave for a week long adventure in a far off
jungle known as Talamanca. 4 A.M. arrives and we are loading our 20+ full backpacks into a small white truck. 4:30, and we are
loading ourselves onto a bus that will drive us 8 hours into the jungle. 8 hours later, 12:30 P.M. hits, and we reach our base in Talamanca.
We didn’t know what we were doing there, but we had a “yes” in our hearts and were ready for whatever this week had in store.
The following day, the men’s team woke up at 5:00 A.M. to prepare breakfast for our squad, this being the first task of many that day.
Soon after breakfast, we devoted time to the Lord, reading scripture and recieving a message from one of our squadmates.
Soon after, we are told that we are going to visit the house of a man, Jorje, who lived deep in the jungle, a solid few hours away
from our base. We put on our rain boots, got our bibles, guitars, and began walking.
The walk was beautifully brutal. We walked for hours under the canopy of the trees, being totally surrounded by trees, and civilization seeming
like a distant memory. Walking in the humidity in knee deep mud had me questioning, Was I focused on the
destination, or the journey? Our objective was to get to Jorje’s house, speak Christ’s love over him, then pray and worship a bit. Was that why
God brought me there? It wasn’t clear to me until, after a few hours of walking, we show up to Jorje’s house, and he wasn’t there.
Was our time wasted? Some may say yes, however I find inherant beauty in the journey that we get to walk, called life.
As I sat down in Jorje’s yard, exhausted. I sit down on a log next to some of my sisters, and we begin to worship. This is where the beautiful lesson
that God has taught me comes in.
As my brothers began playing the guitar, one voice begins to sing a praise to the Lord. That one voice becomes two, and two, three, and shortly after
all brothers and sisters were singing, praising, and thanking God for all that He had done, not only that day, but in our whole lives.
This is where God had revealed to me something so sweet and awe inspiring about his character. I realized that in our lives, our busy, task oriented
lives; sometimes, God will culminate His incredible beauty into One Moment.
After our exhausting, and rewarding week in Talamanca, we came home and were graciously offered to take a day off (just the men) and spend it at our base host’s Doug and Renee’s house. Their condo with A/C and a pool was a welcome change after sweating ourselves to sleep in a room full of bats. Yes, I said bats.
Our time at Doug and Renee’s was amazing. We spent time with just our team, and some of our mentors whom we dearly love, Kevin, Paul, and Matt.
We sat around the tv and watched football, drank coke, ate cheeseburgers, and macaroni until we couldn’t eat any more. The stark contrast of the two
weeks was mind jostling to say the least.
The rest of the evening was spent in the pool, talking about how our time on The Race has been going. We sat in the pool talking until we were chilled to the bone. We got out right about the time that the sun was just setting. After everyone got out of the pool, and ran inside to warm up, my brother Nathan and I found that there was an indoor shower near the pool. Neither of us had taken a hot shower in a few weeks, and after freezing in the pool, there seemed to be nothing sweeter than a hot shower. We sat under the hot water in the shower for what felt like forever, talking about the simple things in life that can bring so much joy, and healing. Like how incredible the feeling of a hot shower is when you are cold. Or the feeling of a hug from a loved one, when you need to be held. Like hearing the words “I love you” when you feel worthless. Like how there’s no better feeling in life to go through something hard, uncomfortable, or challenging and then receiving the one thing you want, comfort.
After the shower, we walked out to the top of the staircase, and before heading down to go back inside, Nathan and I stopped to look at the city lights, shining in the darkness. The cool breeze blowing on our skin, the peaceful silence of the night had descended upon us. The stars in the sky shining.
It was then, that God revealed to me, that his beauty can sometimes culminate into one moment.
One moment, where time stops. A moment where all of your troubles, worries, all of life comes to a standstill.
And for that moment, you just have a sense that everything is going to be okay. Peace falls over you.
You look at your life, and are grateful for everything that God has done, you have a surreal sense of this
crazy thing called life. A sense that you are alive, and that you have been put here for a purpose, a sense that
life is good.
These moments can be anytime, anywhere. I find that these moments are what life is truly all about.
In my life, I find these moments in many things. I find it in the cool breeze on a sunny day, the warm embrace
in a hug shared with someone I love, and who loves me. The stars on a clear night, that make me feel tiny in this
universe, and give a sense that there is something greater than what is seen in this world.
I encourage you to look for these moments in your life, appreciate the little things, because sometimes the little things are all we have.
We only get one shot at this life on earth, so enjoy it. Do what you love, God didn’t make us to be machines,
slaving away for a job that would replace us in a second. He made us to dream, to live, to love. He created us to love
Him, and to marvel at His love for us. So in everything you do, look for that one moment.
I sit here crying while I read your words. I am overwhelmed by the truth in your words. What a blessing your heart is for the body of Christ. What a great God we serve that he reveals himself in when we stop and seek him. Every time! Our time is never wasted worshipping him, seeking him, and experiencing his presence in every moment. He is a good good God!
Tears. Justin, Nathan has told me about most of these moments he shared with you, and in reading your version of it, I am reminded of the beauty of community well-lived in the body of Christ. I can close my eyes and almost feel that I am there amongst all of you as the one voice became many, as you sat in silence with one another under the stars, as you walk this journey becoming brothers, men of God resting in moment after moment of the love of the Father. Thank you for having “the yes in your heart,” even as you write, chronicle, and share this journey.
Justin, I just marvel at all you have experienced and how you are able to express it in writing and in pictures. God is bringing out a new talent in you that I hadn’t seen before. I encourage you to keep writing and sending pictures. It is true that we feel like we are there with all of your group. As I came home the other evening, I turned on Kenyon, so I was going west toward the wash and in the sky was the most beautiful sunset! I wanted to stop and just glory in it, but was tired, so just slowed and took it in and praised God for providing me with that moment! As you know we have beautiful sunsets in Arizona, but they change and fade so quickly. I was just overwhelmed by this “one moment.” Love you and miss you so much my boy, but I truly believe God has called you to this ministry. Safe travels to you all to Cambodia!??????
Amen!!!!! Thanking for sharing your moments from Costa Rica with us Justin!!!! I look forward to hearing about your God moments in Cambodia. Tim and I had a God moment this morning as we heard and watched dolphin swim in the cove behind our house. One dolphin gave birth and was teaching its baby to swim. God is so good!!!!
Justin I can’t begin to say how proud I am of you and how touched I am by your beautiful words! You have a true gift. I as well as the others who commented could imagine perfectly your exhaustion, your worshipping through song, and the beautiful friendships you have made. I am so happy that you were brave enough to answer God’s call. Please know we are praying for you and all of your friends. We love you!????
This got me thinking and I really like that. Something I’ve been learning lately is how much we are taught by society to want things completed instantaneously. But often God uses long processes to complete tasks or bring blessings because it’s in the process where our intimacy and dependence for Him is deepened. And at the end of those processes we often receive those beautiful moments you talked about. This put something I was learning into an effective message and that’s awesome. Good luck to you guys in Cambodia.
Thank you so much Mrs. Kantarevic! I am so blessed to hear that God touched you through this. God is so good, and He is worth it all!
Thank you so much Mrs. Chandler! Beautifully put, I am so thankful for new family such as yours that Christ so masterfully makes into one big family. I am in love with our God and His overwhelming love!
Grandma, I love and miss you so much! I have been thinking about you a lot on this race, and how you have lived your life as a daughter of Christ. You inspire me to follow God with a pure heart, and I am so grateful for how much you have loved me, and our family through the years. You are such a warrior for Christ, and you have walked in His love your whole life. I pray for you often, and love you!
That is so beautiful Tim and Karen! I love that you two have such a love for nature, I am looking for these moments through my daily life, even in the chaos of switching countries! I look so forward to seeing you guys soon!
Thank you so much LaRee! I can’t even begin to thank you for your support. You have been supporting me through finances, prayer, and encouraging words since the beginning! Thank you for walking this journey with me!
I love you so much Aunt Suzie, thank you for reading my blog, and thank you for loving me and our family so much. We are all so truly blessed to have you in our family. I love you, Dave, Jaden, Zane, and Woody! 🙂
Thank you so much Jordan, calling you my sister is a great gift that God has blessed me with. Thank you for all your encouraging words. I hope things are going well in Siem Reap, we all miss you guys, but know that God is doing BIG things with you all!
Thanks so much Joe. Know that a lot of my inspiration for this blog, and lesson God taught me, was a seed that you planted in me through your “train” blog. God is granting you great wisdom. I hope you have fun living with Jordan, I’d love to hear how this season goes for you brother!
P.s. Rian Johnson sucks
Justin, for me, the night sky always produces a sense of calm. Particularly the moon, and certain easily recognizable constellations like Orion, and the Big Dipper. I think it’s because they’re so predictable, reliable and constant. They remind me that the One who created them has my life perfectly in His control; I just have to remember to “look up”. Thank you for sharing what God has shared with you, and also for the beautiful pictures!
Wow Justin, such beautiful words. You have a way of putting the beauty of our Lord into wonderful words. And you are so insightful. I will be praying for the next leg of your journey!
Love,
LaRee
Justin, you are such a gifted writer and The Lord has blessed you with the ability to encourage others and bring them into His safe haven. I’m thankful for your perspective on all that life brings and that you are eager to share it with our squad, the people that you encounter around the world, and with your people back at home. I’m blessed to call you my brother. Keep sharing your stories!