Well hello world!
So I know it has been a while...I also know that I never finished documenting my summer road trip travels. Maybe I'll get around to that eventually so that I do indeed have it documented.
But for now...I return to the blogosphere for a different reason. I've been doing some reading lately...and also a bit of hiking out at Busiek State Forest in the Ozarks. Busiek used to be the place where I had a lot of fun college camping memories (which I still do...freeze the gnats and tats November camping! ha) but this time around living in Springfield...Busiek has become my place to hike with the Lord.
Which is exactly what I did this last Monday.
At one point, I felt like the Lord just wanted me to sit down for a second...and take some time to just listen. So I did. My thoughts had kind of been overwhelmed the few days prior...and this is what I felt like He revealed to me.
I looked to my left, then to my right, and this is what I saw. (These pictures may look very similar to you, but to me there were definite differences.)
First, to my left:
From my view, the path kind of trailed off vaguely, consumed by the trees and leaves. It was like the past, no matter what's back there or where you've come from - it's constantly being consumed by the Lord's beauty. We just have to keep walking on and trust that His beauty is consuming it behind us.
To my right...
The path is a little more defined. But then it turns the corner and disappears. I had been way over-thinking my future, caught up in the details of what might possibly be and how to take care to get there. Sitting on the rock, I had the realization that we all know but too often forget - Yes, the Lord has plans for us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jer 29) - but that does not mean He lets us see all of those plans whenever we want. No, we are to live in today and take care of the right now. Why worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of it's own? I believe He lets us see just enough....but when we try to make too many future plans (like me going back to school to teach, or moving to Dallas)...we are just fooled. Our lives are but a mist...so let's not get caught up in our 5 year plans.
And then...this caught my eye, straight ahead of me.....a fallen, dead tree.
I couldn't figure out why it so grabbed my attention for a bit...and I was fixated on it just for that reason. And then all of a sudden I had this thought - sometimes we are so concentrated on death that we miss the beauty that is ALL around us. And I don't mean just literal death. I mean any kind of darkness that feels like death in our hearts - could be pain that hasn't been dealt with, could be sin, could be the tendency to dwell on the negative. But if we could just take our eyes off of that thing for just a second...we would see LIFE......
So this week, that's what I would encourage you to do. Take your eyes off of the things that are bringing death to your heart...take a look at the life, light, and beauty around you. The Lord is here. The Lord is EVERYWHERE. And He is magnificent. He is consuming your past. And taking care of your future. So trust in Him. And follow the path in front of you. Wherever He's leading you...He'll be with you. And that's all you need to know.
