“Many of us say we want to experience God, but we don’t look for his majesty. We travel life’s paths with our heads down, focused on the next step with our careers or families or retirement plans. But we don’t really expect God to show up with divine wonder. God invites us to look up, open our eyes to the wonder all around us, and seize every opportunity to encounter him. This isn’t a passive expectation but an active one, the kind prompting us to elbow our way to Jesus, knowing he longs to meet us with a hearty embrace and sometimes even twirl us through the air.”
As I struggled through the past 6 months of starting a new life…one that I’m not sure I even wanted…in Seattle, I had lost my focus. Or more accurately I had focused so narrowly, so single heartedly, on survival that I missed the chance to experience God along the way. Oh sure, there were moments. Moment when I felt His presence as I walked along the water or stood in the rain. There were moments when I felt Her come near in my pain or anguish or loneliness or anxiety.
But they were moments…and I missed so many other opportunities.
In my attempt to ‘survive’ I lost sight of the truth of the journey. The truth that every stop along the path is for a reason. It’s a part of the journey. It’s a moment in time. No where has ever been the final destination…not Tennessee, not New Mexico, not Colorado, and not Washington. The destination is a place of light and love inside of me. A place where I can connect to the Spirit of God no matter my geographic location. Or for that matter my financial status, my marital status, my relationship with my family, how many friends I have, if I have the job of my dreams, etc.
You get the point right? The destination is inside…it is the relationship with the One and Only. This home, these things, the car, that cubicle…resting places, pit-stops, and moments in time.
My vision increases. My focus is broader. The dream is bigger. GOD is bigger…and I’m in awe!