The Crazy Ones

I know it's been quite a while since I’ve updated, right? Yeah, life has been crazy…

So let me catch you up. I’m going to India on a short term mission trip – which is the reason for this blog post…

In the last three months, multiple friends have told me I’m crazy. A doctor who gave me a typhoid shot told me pretty much the same thing. My dad echoed too, partly serious/partly kidding – emphasis on the serious part. It’s a sentiment I’ve been hearing a lot lately.

They say I’m crazy because I’m going to India for a mission trip in just a few weeks – and I’m beyond thrilled. But everyone around me seems to just focus on how “insane” and “out of the norm” it is.

But is it really?

Because I don’t think it is.  India is a place that’s been on my heart for months, since August and maybe before then. I have no clue as to why, but India suddenly began to fill my heart and mind and prayers. Within a few weeks, prayers for India turned into prayers about how I was going to serve India.
I knew God wanted me there for a short term mission trip. I wasn’t sure when, I wasn’t sure how. But I was going to go. So the search began for an organization or group or something that would let me go.

By New Years, I’d turned in an application to go on a trip with Crossroads Worldwide. Now, I leave in less than a month, to spend 16 days in the land that’s been on my heart for months. It’s a good thing – and I know that it’s exactly where God’s leading me.

People are saying I’m crazy because I’m spending my own money and time to go to an area that isn’t exactly a prime vacation. But is it really crazy to go where God’s directs? Is it really crazy to spend money to make the prayer “your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” a reality, by using the resources He already provided for it to take place? Is it really crazy to step out in faith for a couple of weeks?

See, I get that people who don’t know Jesus think it’s crazy. That I understand. Because if you don’t know and love Jesus, it really doesn’t make sense. But the ones who are saying “crazy” know Jesus. They follow Jesus – but I think they’re missing it. If non-Christians are saying “Wow, Casey, that’s an incredible opportunity!” and “What a great way to see the world!” and “You’ll have such an impact!” then why are my own brothers and sisters in the faith telling me it’s unusual?

Shouldn’t the followers of Jesus be the ones who leap out in faith? Shouldn’t the ones who know and love Jesus want to do whatever He tells us even if it means a little sacrifice? Shouldn’t my brothers and sisters be cheering me on in this crazy dream?

I’m okay with being labeled as “crazy.” Maybe it is crazy, if examined with the wrong perspective. But this is where God wants me, and I’m resting in that.

Besides, Jesus' family even thought He was crazy at one point. In fact, most God-followers are known for doing things that aren’t quite normal: people leaving everything they’ve ever known to follow God, giving up dreams, finding better things waiting then what they left behind. It’s crazy – but it’s no less true. Jesus said if we’re really His followers, we’ll do what He commands.

And at the moment, that command is taking me to India.
Want to join me in the crazy?

Love,

Casey

P.S. If you would pray for me and my team, I would appreciate it! We’re going to be doing a lot in those sixteen days, and prayers for both our unity and alignment with God’s desires for the trip are key right now! I still need to come up with a lesson for part of the VBS that I’m helping to lead, as well as a devotion to lead with the women, and I’m coming up with ideas for a craft for the VBS group as well. I covet your prayers and thank you in advance!