A Year of Sojourning

This week I'm leaving for Washington to visit a friend and help her move.

Traveling has played a fairly large part in my life this year - physically and spiritually.

Between Bible Quizzing competitions out of state, the trip to Canada, and a journey to the Carolinas - much of the past twelve months I've been discovering new parts of the world, and new sides of myself.

When this year began, I decided to choose a word to live by for the remainder of 2017.  Feeling like I often ran away from the hard things God brought my way - I chose a three letter word - "yes".  I was done avoiding the things He had called me to do, and so I said yes.

Yes to journeying out of the country, to restoring relationships, to not being dominated by my fear.  Yes to speaking up and stepping out, and learning that love is both the simplest and the hardest thing to give.  Yes to caring for the people around me, but remembering that I can't ignore my own soul in the process.  How can I love and take care of my neighbor as myself if I'm not loving and taking care of myself?

Ultimately, less of everything but Christ.  Much, much more of Him.  More of Him in me, around me, behind me, in the eyes and hearts of all these people I get to see everyday.  Like the beggar of Luke 18 - I've got just one request.  Lord, I want to see.  I want to see all of it - all of You.  Everywhere.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When You Wonder If You're Qualified

There's a whole, wide world out there. Does it sometimes seem too wide?  A bit too big for little old you and me? Maybe it's because we feel too small for the job.  Maybe we think somebody else could do it better.  Moses certainly thought the same thing.  In Exodus 4, it is written -  " But Moses said to the  Lord , “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but  I am slow of speech and of tongue.”   Then the  Lord  said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the  Lord ?     Now therefore go, and  I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”    We tell ourselves that there are better leaders out there, better friends, better writers.  But here's the thing - if God wanted somebody else to do your job, He wouldn't have given it to you.  1 Corinthians 7:17 says "Only le...
Read more

He Asks For Who We Are: (how what you have is enough to give, and why)

Currently I am in the throws of preparing for a season of camp ministry close to St. Joseph, Missouri.  This will be my fifth (and final) summer doing so. It would be a lie to say there aren't many mixed emotions involved in the process of preparing. I am choosing to make this my last time there not because there are some "divisions", "quarrels" or "scandals" about the place. It served me well, and I have given my all serving the people there. I am leaving because the direction He intends me to pursue with my life now lies elsewhere. But please, do not let your eyes glaze over at my reasonings. I am writing you today because I want to assure you that although life changes - and we may feel both vastly in awe of what is ahead and astounded at how we shall rise up to meet these new callings: What is necessary is not that we should have every issue resolved or each doubt silenced. If we are to step out of the wardrobe and into a world as wild and wondrous...
Read more

Why You Don't Need to Fear Feelings

I've always been a deeply feeling person. Whether it's a tragic book ending, a triumphant battle-cry, a friend's depression, or the changing of Earth's seasons - my heart is greatly invested in the joys and the sorrows of the things and people around me. "This is their problem, not yours.  You don't need to concern yourself with it." "Yes, they're leaving.  A lot of people do.  Someday you'll just have to get used to it." But for some reason, I'd rather not get used to it. Maybe I am overcaring and sensitive - but I don't want to live life numb.  I would rather be vulnerable and risk letting my heart be broken sometimes than to be blind to the beauty of this world.  Even the beauty of the broken things and the broken people. I believe that God created us with emotions.  Though it is inherently sinful to let our feelings guide us to the point of murder, covetousness, and idolatry - it is not sin to feel other things. It...
Read more