Today marks 2 weeks back in the great USA. It's been a busy time, but thankfully I've had a bit of time for reflection. Firstly I want to thank all of the people who've welcomed me home...and doubly thank those that have provided a roof over my head, a home-cooked meal, and have helped to make me feel at home since I stepped off the plane.
This is our last week of "re-integration" and for the most part it involves just a half-day at Ft Carson before we're released to take care of personal matters. The last few days I've had the privilege of running in the afternoon. In a Colorado spring/summer, you might be running outside in the sunshine and the pouring rain all at once. It's kind of an odd phenomenon and wholly unpredictable (although folks from CO say it's predictable...as in "predictably unpredictable"). Although I've never claimed to be a cat person, I generally have an aversion to water falling from the sky. It's probably more "learned" than anything else. Running in soggy shoes can give you some mean blisters.
But going for a run with almost no clouds in the sky and getting caught in a downpour is just part of life. It's a simple, random occurrence but it reminds me of what Donald Miller says about our relationship with God the Father. It's not about "getting it right" but allowing ourselves to be "fathered" by God. It's a slow process...unlike everything we're sold on TV, the internet, billboards, magazines, or the million other forms of advertisement. It's more like the example of gardening in the bible. It takes time and daily tending to reap the rewards. And it's unpredictable. And the garden has to "weather" a lot during the process. Some days are sunny and others are a deluge.
But the truth is, we'd like to avoid the rain and just have the sunshine (some people enjoy the rain a great deal but I think you get the metaphor).
There are parts of our lives that we feel require faith...like getting married or raising a family, like starting a new job or going to school, like taking responsibility for something big... For me, deploying to a foreign and hostile land just a few months after graduating definitely required faith. And then there are parts of our lives that we do not necessarily associate with "having faith." Do you have faith when you go to work every day? Do you know how God will provide for you today? Do you know how God will "father" you today and help your garden grow just a little bit more? It's unpredictable and uncomfortable...but I think it's time that we embrace it. It's what having faith is all about. It's the big things in our lives and the little things too. How can we...right now at this very moment, give God more of ourselves? How can we...right now at this very moment, be genuine with God and allow Him to change us?
Returning home to the amenities of America (as well as the culture) has been a learning experience. For me personally, it has changed my view of what America looks like to the rest of the world. It has made me more grateful than ever for the resources that I have and has challenged me to do more with what I have. And above all it has furthered my belief in God's good nature. As much as I struggle (and at times despise the struggle), I can't say that the hard times in my life haven't been worth it. We aren't promised anything in this life. It's cliche but we've all heard it before, that nothing in life worth doing is easy. We're looking for meaning and purpose, not the "easy button." Pain is part of the process.
Today as I finished my run (pretty wet from getting caught in the rain again), I looked up at the sky to attempt to figure out where in the heck the rain was coming from and I saw a rainbow. Now isn't that just the metaphor...you can't have a rainbow without the rain.
This is our last week of "re-integration" and for the most part it involves just a half-day at Ft Carson before we're released to take care of personal matters. The last few days I've had the privilege of running in the afternoon. In a Colorado spring/summer, you might be running outside in the sunshine and the pouring rain all at once. It's kind of an odd phenomenon and wholly unpredictable (although folks from CO say it's predictable...as in "predictably unpredictable"). Although I've never claimed to be a cat person, I generally have an aversion to water falling from the sky. It's probably more "learned" than anything else. Running in soggy shoes can give you some mean blisters.
But going for a run with almost no clouds in the sky and getting caught in a downpour is just part of life. It's a simple, random occurrence but it reminds me of what Donald Miller says about our relationship with God the Father. It's not about "getting it right" but allowing ourselves to be "fathered" by God. It's a slow process...unlike everything we're sold on TV, the internet, billboards, magazines, or the million other forms of advertisement. It's more like the example of gardening in the bible. It takes time and daily tending to reap the rewards. And it's unpredictable. And the garden has to "weather" a lot during the process. Some days are sunny and others are a deluge.
But the truth is, we'd like to avoid the rain and just have the sunshine (some people enjoy the rain a great deal but I think you get the metaphor).
There are parts of our lives that we feel require faith...like getting married or raising a family, like starting a new job or going to school, like taking responsibility for something big... For me, deploying to a foreign and hostile land just a few months after graduating definitely required faith. And then there are parts of our lives that we do not necessarily associate with "having faith." Do you have faith when you go to work every day? Do you know how God will provide for you today? Do you know how God will "father" you today and help your garden grow just a little bit more? It's unpredictable and uncomfortable...but I think it's time that we embrace it. It's what having faith is all about. It's the big things in our lives and the little things too. How can we...right now at this very moment, give God more of ourselves? How can we...right now at this very moment, be genuine with God and allow Him to change us?
Returning home to the amenities of America (as well as the culture) has been a learning experience. For me personally, it has changed my view of what America looks like to the rest of the world. It has made me more grateful than ever for the resources that I have and has challenged me to do more with what I have. And above all it has furthered my belief in God's good nature. As much as I struggle (and at times despise the struggle), I can't say that the hard times in my life haven't been worth it. We aren't promised anything in this life. It's cliche but we've all heard it before, that nothing in life worth doing is easy. We're looking for meaning and purpose, not the "easy button." Pain is part of the process.
Today as I finished my run (pretty wet from getting caught in the rain again), I looked up at the sky to attempt to figure out where in the heck the rain was coming from and I saw a rainbow. Now isn't that just the metaphor...you can't have a rainbow without the rain.
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