For the last year, I had not been planning on the doing The World Race; it just wasn’t what I thought I wanted to do. I mean, if I did The World Race, I would have to completely trust God; I couldn't rely on myself anymore. Before I made the decision to do this mission trip, I had decided that I wanted to go to college to become a therapist, that way I could still say I was helping people. With this path, I felt like I could still rely on myself to accomplish a successful future. For awhile, I was just too scared to let God take control and let Him lead me in His way. I was confident that I could go to college and become a therapist, but I was not confident in saying, “God, take my hand and lead me in Your way.”
Then something changed. I said yes to doing a simple internship at my church this past summer. Over this time, I gained confidence in God and realized that the only way that I can be completely confident in everything is when I say, “Guide me God. Your will be done, Your path be taken. I, myself, don’t have anything to offer, but through you I do!” Being reliant on God became something that I had to start actively working on, and through working on it, I really came to realize that I can be so much more confident when I am relying on God than when I try to do it myself.
After this growth in relationship with the Lord, I came back to the idea of The World Race and thought, "God, I said no to this a little while ago, but I said no because I was scared, not because you said no. What is your path for me? What do you want for me." Then I waited... and waited, until finally I decided that I should just go ahead and investigate it. As I was looking into The World Race website, I started a video that talked about what The World Race is all about, and I just felt something, a feeling where everything in me said yes. I got chills and started crying. I thought, “Okay, God, if this is what You want, then I will chase it.” I felt God say, “Do it.” Now, I am choosing to be reliant on God, and through this I have gained the most confidence I’ve ever had when it comes to what my future holds for me. This is because I trust that God has got this and that He has a plan, and I can't wait to get to go and share Him with people across the world. A relationship with God is everything, and growing closer to Him is such a beautiful thing. I am so excited for this upcoming season.
Luke Petersen.
