Leaving on a jetplane...

Outside my own little world...

The longer I stay in the United States, the more I am hit by reality when I leave. Each time I leave the confines of this country I realize how spoiled, comfortable, and easy I have it in America. If you know anything about me, you know that I love to travel. I enjoy being on the move, taking in the beauty that God has created, and seeing the world. While a lot of those travels have taken me to breathtaking places, gorgeous sights, and indescribable beauty, rarely do my travels take me somewhere like the last place I visited- Medellin Colombia.

For those of you who don’t know much about Medellin Colombia, it was known as the most dangerous city in the world less than 25 years ago. Murders, Crime, and Drugs were commonplace. Streets were filled with people who carried semi automatic weapons and the Medellin Cartel ruled the city. Today Medellin is much safer. Aside from being one of the only white people in the country and speaking a small amount of the native language, I didn’t feel any less safe than I would if I was walking around in queens at night.

What people don’t tell you about Medellin, Colombia is pretty much everything else about it. Honestly, the only thing most people know about Colombia is that its really dangerous, a lot of people die there, and frankly you shouldn’t travel there. That’s a really sad reality. The truth is that Colombia is actually a really safe place these days. On top of that, its absolutely beautiful, its in desperate need of financial resources, and the people are some of the most unbelievable people Ive ever met.

I spent 7 days in Colombia and each day I was drawn closer and closer to the people of Medellin and as a result I felt myself drawn closer and closer to the God that created us all. The people and the kids we interacted with every day had so much less than us from our standard American view point. Less clothes, less cars, less food, less property, and of course…. Less money. With that said, I think these people have more than I could ever want in the categories that matter. More joy, more love, more faith, and an all around better grip on what truly matters in life.

Im blessed beyond measure. Some may even call me spoiled. Ive been given more than I will ever need. Ive never been in need of food. Ive never lacked a place to live, a fresh pair of clothes, or a few dollars to get “that next thing” that I don’t really need but somehow convince myself that I do. Ive also been blessed with so many of the intangibles that we sometimes take for granted. People who love me, friends I can count on, a job that I love, and most importantly: a purpose for living.

I spent a lot of time talking to the people of Colombia in some form of Spanglish while I was down there. A recurring theme in our conversations seemed to be how much they appreciated that we were there and that it was such a blessing to have us in their homes and their country. What I could never convey is that they were the ones who were the true blessing. I left Colombia changed for the better. Im not sure I went to Colombia knowing exactly why I was going but looking back I realize that God had some work to do in my heart and Colombia was the place to get it done.

Life is so much more than the bubble we live in. So many of us, myself included grow up in a world where the only thing that matters is what we can do for ourselves or how the world can serve us. What we don’t realize is that outside that bubble is a world that’s in desperate need. Our own little world is really not about us at all. The paradox of life is that its not until we realize that we are here to serve and not be served that we can fill the empty hole inside of us.

I think Leeland puts it best in their song “Follow You"...

You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.

All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
'Cause Faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was she'd
So how could I not give it away so freely?

Colombia is a special place. Not because its beautiful. Not because it has overcome so much. Not because it opened my heart to new and exciting things. But because of the people. Who they are, where they are going, and the way that they live…….the way we are all supposed to live.

Later days,

Unanswered prayers, answered prayers, and the inbetweens...

Faith is a funny thing. Sometimes we ask for it. Sometimes we want it. Sometimes we have it. And we always need it. Hebrews says that “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I think we all love the idea of having confidence in what we hope for. Assurance about what we do not see....thats a little harder.

It seems to me that faith is the glue that holds us together. Faith is what we need when we don’t have the answers to the prayers that we’ve been praying. Faith is what we need when the answers we get aren’t the answers we want, and faith is what we must exercise when the answers we’ve been asking for don’t look the way WE want them too even if the answer is exactly what we need.

The reality of life is that we run into challenges, and decisions that we dont want to deal with and frankly dont know how to deal with. We pray about them, we ask for guidance, and we try to figure them out. Sometimes the answers we get are clear, and other times they are like driving a car in a snowstorm. You cant tell where you are headed or if youre even on the right road anymore. Unfortunately in life we dont have the luxury of simply pulling the car over and stopping. We must continue to press on. The beauty though is that while we may not know where we are headed, someone else does. It is there that we find what it really means to walk (or drive) by faith.

We all have plans for what we think our lives should look like. I cant even count how much time Ive spent trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, where I want to live, or how I can figure out the answers to who Im going to be or how my life is going to end up. Don’t we all want that? Don’t we all want the answers? Direction? Life is so much easier and safer that way. The more we know the less we have to risk and the less difficult everything is. While life may be easier, safer, and more convenient when we have all the answers, it also can cause us to lose our reliance on faith.

God doesn’t call us to live safe lives in which we know all the answers, don’t need Him for anything, and can figure it all out on our own. Not everything in our lives is meant to make perfect sense, go exactly how WE want things to go, and be lived without struggles and challenges. Perhaps if we try really, really hard we can achieve the life of minimal struggles, painless decisions, and comfortable choices but we'd lose more than we gained in the process. Even if it were possible it wouldn’t be the life God has planned for us. Jesus said that He came so that we may have life and have life to the fullest. That life means taking risks, dreaming big, living outside our comfort zone, and taking steps of faith…..even when we don’t know how things are going to turn out.

Im sure im not the only one who needs to learn how to step out in faith and trust that God wants us to live our life filled with excitement and adventure. Its not easy. In fact, some days its really really hard. However, “When you have come to the edge Of all light that you know And are about to drop off into the darkness Of the unknown, Faith is knowing One of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or You will be taught to fly.”

Lets not get bogged down in the unknown, the unanswered prayers, and all the things inbetween. Instead, lets live the life we were called to live...one of trust and faith.