I WILL

Seven months past. Two countries down. The end is near. I’m trying not to look ahead, but sometimes it’s hard not to. There’s still one country left until the end of this story. And all great stories have great endings. So I need to make the most of this last country if I want this story to have a great ending and one that I’m satisfied with.

Something I prayed for at bootcamp, way back in June last year, is that no one would have any regrets. This is something my youth group leader said when I was in the Dominican Republic last year for a week, to not regret anything, to do whatever you feel called to do in any moment. And those words have stuck with me ever since.

Regret is something I feel like a lot of people suffer from. But not the kind where you regret doing something, the kind where you regret NOT doing something.     

“I should have done something.”

“I should have said something.”

I don’t want to be saying anything like this at the end of the race.

A line from one of my favorite films, Inception, represents this very well,

“Do you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret?”

Even though it already took a big leap of faith in coming on this trip, there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s not just waking up every morning and going about a routine of breakfast, ministry, lunch, more ministry, free time, dinner, and bedtime. It’s about stepping outside of our routine and comfort zone, making the most of every moment, and taking a leap of faith whenever you think the two words, “I should.”

And what should we do whenever we think these words? Turn them into “I will.” Instead of thinking about doing something, do it. Say,

“I will do something.”

“I will say something.”

Take ownership of your thoughts and step outside your comfort zone. Be a leader with no regrets. That’s how you make your story great and come to a satisfying ending.

But there’s always those other two words. The words that can change anything and everything in an instant. The words that the devil loves to put inside of us. The words that lead to regret, “What if?”

“What if it doesn’t go well?”

“What if something bad happens?”

I bet that these two words have caused more regret in the world than we could ever imagine. As soon as we start questioning “I should” we get nervous and might end up not doing anything at all. I myself have gone through this thousands of times in my life and a bunch of times on the race. Let me tell you that it’s one of the worst things ever, to look back on a situation in which you were thinking “I should,” but ended up thinking “what if?”

There is a solution to these destructive words. Indeed there is. It’s something that’s been there this whole time. It’s something we’ve all heard of. It’s something I try to rely on whenever I can. It’s something we should all rely on. Whenever I do rely on this thing and take that leap of faith, it’s one of the coolest things ever.

I’ll start off by saying that it’s not a “thing” it’s a person. It’s someone I’ve come to know a lot on this trip and he’s pretty amazing. Like I said, he’s someone who’s always there for me and you. Someone who loves us more than we can imagine. Someone who came and died for us 2000 years ago. Need I say more? Need I even say his name at this point? I’m going to assume everyone knows, but in case someone doesn’t, read Luke 2:31-32 and Luke 2:11

It’s Him. He’s the solution to “what if?” He’s the answer to preventing regret. He’s what we need in order to turn “I should” into “I will.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5.

“Trust in the Lord.” That’s all it takes to prevent regret. That’s all it takes to change your life. That’s all it takes to make your story great. And that’s who I’m relying on for these last two months. I know it will be hard. It has been hard for someone like me who started off the race as a very introverted person.

But the good times will outweigh the hard times. Although there have been times where I was thinking “I should” but ended up thinking “what if?” There have been other, more memorable, times in which I was thinking “I should” and turned it into “I will.” And the different between these two situations is obvious. When I was thinking “what if?” I wasn’t relying on him. But when I was thinking “I will” I was relying on him.

In conclusion, if we rely on Him and Him alone, take that leap of faith whenever we think “I should,” and turn that “I should” into “I will,” our own lives and even the lives around us can be changed.

I WILL.