Last Days In Lynchburg

July 30th, 2022:

There are just some moments I wish I could bottle up, minutes I wish I could slow down.

Its surreal to me that I have only a handful of days left in one of my favorite places.

You know when you think you have so much time to do things, and then all of a sudden the days fly by and you realize your time is almost up? Thats exactly how I feel.

Lately, my days have been busy trying to see friends and pack up my apartment before leaving Tuesday.

My parents came down to help me move my furniture last week and my room looks so goofy now. It’s almost completely empty except for my sleeping pad/pillow I’ll be taking on the race and a handful of boxes and clothes. From an outsiders perspective it looks like I’m squatting in my own apartment haha.

Come Tuesday though, I will move my last few boxes and say goodbye to Lynchburg, Virginia. I’ll drive the 16.5 hours back to Wisconsin and spend the next month enjoying time with friends and family before I leave the country at the end of August.

There is so much uncertainty surrounding what the details of my next year of life will look like. But I feel so at ease. I know that God doesn’t guarantee clarity in what every circumstance and/or detail of our lives will look like, but he establishes a trust and a confidence with us. And that is what gives us the faith to walk through the ups and downs of life with peace.

For a long time I let fear sit in the driver seat of my life. Allowing me to believe that some of my life experiences disqualified me from where God was leading me. For three years straight I began (but never finished) the application to do the World Race.

Last fall though, I finally finished and submitted my application after a very wise friend of mine reminded me that our pasts don’t disqualify us but provide us an opportunity to extend the hope and grace that we’ve received over and over again. The entire premise of salvation through Christ is that when we accept Jesus as our savior no choice we make can separate us from his redemptive love and grace. God knew every single decision we would make, and he knew every day of our lives before we lived them and he still chose us anyway (Ephesians 2:4-10, Jeremiah 31:3-5).

Sometimes following God feels less like baby steps and more like a free fall. I anticipate that the next part of my life will more closely emulate a free fall- but in the best way. I don’t even know what I don’t know yet, but I have so much peace walking into this. There’s beauty in the uncertainty because it pushes us to pursue a deeper trust/intimacy with God.

For now though, I am soaking up every bit of my last few days in Lynchburg.

As I drive around town, its like I’m rewatching my last three years on B-roll. Reliving all of the significant and insignificant moments that made up my time here.

Even the mundane and seemingly insignficant moments feel significant to me today. I feel so fortunate that this was the place that grew me and shaped me. That this town was where so much life was lived and so many lessons were learned.

I am so grateful that the people and this place are so hard to say goodbye to.

This place will forever feel like home.