I am officially on the world race, it’s kinda weird to be writing that. When I talked about the world race it always seemed like some far off event that would never actually come to fruition. But here we are! It’s real! I’ve only been here for three days but it has been a difficult, exhilarating, and exciting three days. It wasn’t easy leaving but I also wasn’t expecting it to be easy. Goodbyes are something I am not necessarily good at but knowing that I was walking into a group of people that was so loving and kind made it a little bit easier.

Flash back to 2 days before training camp. My sister and I went to the store. As we were walking through the aisles, I saw the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. I figured it would be a good going away gift to give my parents as a sign to show how grateful I am for all they have done for me over the past year while I was preparing for the world race.

I brought them to my parents, they looked at them and gave me a hug after saying how beautiful they were. A few hours later my dad came downstairs and said “you know I started thinking about these flowers, and they look a lot like your heart Celia. All the different colors, shapes, and sizes perfectly describe how your heart looks. There is the fun and energetic side but there is also a wondrous and curious side.”

I'm writing this to show what the Lord put on my heart in that moment. This is exactly what His heart looks like. It is tender, kind, loving, soulful, curious, courageous, passionate, and wondrous. But the Lord also has a heart that is full of tough love, conviction, and has our best interest in mind, no matter if what He’s conveying to us seems hard to wrap our minds around. His heart looks like a bouquet of flowers, the different shapes, sizes, and colors are just one of the many ways the Lord shows us what his heart looks like. 

This time on the world race has already pushed me out of my comfort zone and called me higher in ways I didn’t expected. But that’s one of the greatest qualities of the Lord, he calls us out of comfort to help us grow into the men and women we are supposed to be.

Ezekiel 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Timothy 1:5

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Forever His,

Celia