Monday, October 20, 2014

Where The Journey Leads

"I don't mean to say I am perfect. I haven't learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us". Philippians 3:12-14 (The Living Bible) 

When she pulled off the fast-paced highway of the working world in the middle of winter, she had no idea how different the pace on the country road would be. The cold January mornings found her snuggled under a blanket in front of the fireplace with a warm cup of tea while former co-workers made their way to the workplace on icy, dark roads. She felt blessed and privileged that her corporate working days were finally over. Waking to the sunrise instead of the alarm clock soon became a passion and drifting through the day without a schedule gave her wings of freedom.

As winter turned into spring, the feeling of freedom and a care-free summer ahead was exciting. Vacations to the beach or spending time with family and friends without consulting someone else’s timeline had been something she had given up many years ago when entering the working world.

“Come on over to my yard
 Sit around
 Let your troubles all disappear
 Come on over to my yard
‘Cause right now Heaven’s right here”  (Jeb Loy Nichols “Heaven’s Right Here”)

An so it was, mornings spent in her garden, surrounded by God’s feathered choir and the sun beckoning her to enjoy this moment she had earned….

The giddy feelings of freedom were refreshing during those first few months, but the giddiness, it seems, is wearing off. Frankly, the increasing feelings of freedom are somewhat overshadowed by the feeling of being completely trapped; trapped somewhere between what was and what is to come.

Not long ago Mondays were to be dreaded and faced with blinding determination to get past the start of the work week. Tuesdays were a little better, like the second sip of something bitter…it went down a little easier.  Wednesdays were the half-way mark of the fast paced race to make it to the finish line. Thursdays were the big push to get it all done so Fridays could be glided through with ease into the freedom of the long awaited weekend that would, no doubt go faster than the speed of light right back into someone else’s timeline. 

Days now come and go without the speed and stress of a few short months ago and are often undefined by any particular activities. Finding joy in this new found freedom is fleeting and finding a level of discipline to this new pace seems just a bit out of reach.  In a season of discontent, she finds herself in the spin cycle of change, searching for something to hold on to…. a passion……a purpose.


When it’s time for a change, you can feel it in your bones, and there’s nothing like that feeling – the feeling of chasing something new. Excited, anxious, happy…maybe even a little scared…but those feelings drive us towards the starting line of something fresh. There comes a time when we want something more, and there comes a time when we need something more. It can build up slowly, or catch you by surprise. Either way, you know it’s time to skip to the next scene, press play, and let the magic of the unknown excite you. (Author unknown)