Living a better story. This is something that instantly caught my attention. As a single, nearly 24 year old female, a war wages within me. Two options: settle down or seek adventure. Adventure has always been a part of me. I often desire to learn a new language, climb a large mountain, or jump out of a plane. More than any of those things, though, I want to move to Africa. Jesus came to give us life to the full! So many times in my life, I’ve been overwhelmed with this sense that I was made for something bigger. A few years ago, I watched the movie, Hotel Rwanda. It has quite the intense story line, let me tell you. The one piece that really got me was this woman working for the Red Cross in the midst of all the genocide and conflict. She went back and forth through the thick of the massacre, put herself in the line of fire, and brought the orphan kids she cared for to safety. Something came over me and I remember saying out loud, “I could do that.” Since then, the thought hasn’t let me go. After a short visit to the West African country of Ghana, I realized more than ever that I had a passion for the people there, especially the AIDS orphans.
Some days, every fiber of my being wants to get on a plane with a duffel bag and not look back. I imagine myself, this tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed girl, getting off a plane that has outside stairs. The African air smells hot and dusty. I arrive at an empty building that is soon to be filled with children. I will offer them food, shelter, and Jesus. A little girl enters with big brown eyes and a hungry tummy, no shoes, and without family. I hold her close and praise God for His provision for her. One by one the rooms become filled and I am the proud mother of so many who don’t have my nose, eyes, or hair color. I get to love them, teach them to read and write, show them how to care for one another, and introduce them to the Savior that will never leave nor forsake them. A story like that is beautiful, big, and full of adventure! I want it to be mine.
So what’s keeping me here? The same thing that keeps aspiring musicians from ditching their restaurant jobs to go full force into recording and touring. It’s the same thing that keeps people going back to their job everyday when they've been burnt out for years. It’s the same thing that makes a person in their mid to late 20’s ask out anyone they come into contact with. Security. Comfortability. To be what we should and fit the mold. We get tricked into thinking that those are far better than the unknown.
I have fallen victim to chasing after dreams less wild. After all, who knows what’s beyond the wall around our comfort zones? Living in Africa could mean living amidst political unrest, calling a ratty cot and cement floor home, being far away from family and friends, or facing a life of singleness. It could mean weeks on end without rest from being a caretaker, being out of my culture and language, and carrying the heartbreaking stories of these children with wounded hearts. These possibilities make me unnerved and war against my innate need for adventure. I fear life outside that wall. The Living a Better Story Seminar could be just what I need to fan that flame within and be about something bigger. It could be the push for me to take that first leap of faith. Not only could it help me step outside my walls and into a better story, but give lots of children the opportunity to have a better story of their own.
So many things lie beyond our comfort zones. We must decide that the act of venturing outside our walls is more important that the fears we might face on our journey. There will be challenges and trying times, but the key is to never stop pushing those walls. Because there’s something else that lies outside of my comfort zone. A better story.
Living a Better Story Seminar from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.
