On your mark, get set....grow.

by Karyn Ross

I have been wanting to go on a mission trip to South Africa for a few years. There were a couple of times I came close, but the timing was never right. 

This time, when the opportunity presented itself my initial reaction was another resounding no. I had been traveling a lot, I had many loose ends I was trying to tie up, the group of young adults I had started here needed me, my family needed me and my energy already seemed to be focused in too many places, I didn’t feel grounded. But this time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that in fact THIS was the trip I was meant to take. No matter how many excuses I seemed to come up with, I kept getting the feeling that I needed to do this.  I decided I would trust this feeling and take that leap of faith. 

I knew right away I had made the right decision and I am so excited for our journey to begin! However, there have been a few moments, particularly this past week, when moments of panic set in. How will I get everything done? Who will handle the things that I normally do while I’m away? Will my family be ok? 

While trying to process these thoughts and reassure myself that all would be well and that I had in fact made the right decision to go, I thought back to when I was younger. Whether it was a friendly backyard race among neighborhood kids or I was standing on top of the block before a swimming competition, the words “On your mark, get set, go!” elicited insecurity, anxiety, and fear. Would I be fast enough? Would I come in last? Would I even finish? It only lasted a split second but nevertheless it was there. 

Over the years I have grown in so many ways. I am now a confident adult, capable of making decisions and even feel I have imparted important lessons that I have learned to my children. Just recently I was telling one of them “Never stop learning, never stop growing and never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take that chance.” 

This week I came across this quote by Madeleine L’Engle…”I do not think that I will ever reach a stage when I will say, ‘This is what I believe. Finished. What I believe is alive…and open to growth.’”

Yesterday my daily devotion from Lisa Terkeurst was this…”When I take on a growth mindset, I don’t chain my identity to my insecurity. Instead, I chain my identity to the Word of God that breathes hope and powerful potential back into any situation.” 

Coincidence? Maybe, but I choose to believe it is a message, one that I have received with great clarity and as our trip draws near, instead of hearing “On your mark, get set, go!” I will take a deep breath, trading fear and anxiety for peace and joy as I slowly exhale and whisper ”On your mark, get set…Grow.”💓