This month in Indonesia for about a week my team and I lived in a treehouse. Like an actual legit 3 story tree house with banana leaves for the roof. We bathed in the river where we also washed our dishes. We slept on the floor (or in our hammock cough cough Olivia) and cooked on this little propane tank powered stove. It sounds like so much fun, right? This is literally the dreams of my childhood. I never thought when I was growing up I would actually ever really live in tree house but here I am. Living the dream, right?
In some ways, yes, this life is incredible! I am so blessed to be able to do this and am so glad I am doing this. However, life isn’t this easy and fun tree house party all the time. This week has actually been really really hard for both me and my team. Here’s why: sleeping in a tree house is so much fun until there’s no A/C and you’re being eaten by bugs in your sleep. Showering in the river with your team is an absolutely laughing party the first time. By the 3rd time you’re tired of being fully clothed to bathe and not actually feeling clean. Oh, not to mention all the people staring at the foreigners and asking to take pictures with you while you’re freezing and trying to shampoo your greasy hair or wash your smelly armpits. Washing dishes is no different. There are constantly people coming up and asking for photos. It’s difficult when you’re trying to have grace because it’s the 15th billion time and you just want to say no nicely but no one speaks English. Are you starting to get a clearer picture? This life, as fun as it might seem, is actually REALLY difficult. When talking to one of my family members she said, “Sounds cool but challenging.” This is the most perfect description of this life. The whole race really, but especially this week. It’s cool but challenging.
There have been so many times I have just wanted to straight leave and go back home (or at least to the city where I know I can find at least a little bit of comfort). So why stay then? Well there are a few reasons.
- I know this is where God wants my team and I. I would so much rather be in the will of God than anywhere else. I may want a lot of worldly things but I want what God desires for my life more. And so I stay because I know this is God’s plan and his plan is so much bigger and better and wiser than any plan I could ever come up with on my own.
- These people are worth it. We have really connected to some of the locals here that speak English and have gotten the chance to share who Jesus is with them. There are two guys in particular that I can tell are starting to really question what they think about life and God, and are contemplating so much they never have before. This life is really hard sometimes but I have to ask myself often, “Is this worth it for the sake of the gospel? Are these people’s eternal souls worth me being uncomfortable?” The answer is yes. Honestly, sometimes I don’t want to say yes but I know that it is. All this stuff I feel like I have to put up with is worth it if God is glorified and the good news is shared.
- When was I ever promised a comfortable life? It’s been actually the opposite. God does not call us to choose the things we feel comfortable in. He asks us to step out and trust him over and over and over again when we choose the Christian life. When I chose to go on the World Race I knew I was leaving behind most of the comforts I was used to. This month God has repeatedly asked me, “Are you unsafe? Or are you uncomfortable?” Because it’s okay if I’m uncomfortable. I actually really should be at least every once in a while.
I’m not trying to say this life isn’t cool because it is. There are so many times a day when I look at my team and say, “Can you believe that this is our life?” What I am trying to say is that it’s not all rainbows and butterfly’s and the lived out dreams of my childhood. Reality is SO much harder than that.
Confession: As a kid I was so terrified I was going to live a “boring” life. I would pray to God all the time asking him to make my life exciting. Lol. God answers prayers. I’d like to think I’m living the dream (at least my dream) but of course there’s a little reality thrown in there too.
