Returning Home

Well this past week was incredible. I deeply desire to capture the sights, feelings, awe and wonder that existed over the course of the seven days, yet most of all, I don't want to forget just how incredible God was. He is amazing and it is so incredibly easy to remember that when there is a ginormous canyon surrounding you. All it took was a glance left, right, up, down, it didn't even make a difference, but simply gazing upon the scenery took my hope, focus, heart to a place where my own worries and anxiety could not survive. There was simply no space for them to breathe because the air was so filled with awe of the Creator. Vivid images remain seared upon my mind, how long they will last, I am unsure. However, God will not change. He will remain the God who created the vast canyon I had the blessing to be part of, even just for a fleeting moment. I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience God in that way and I deeply hope that life experiences will reaffirm the God I witnessed in the canyon- a God who is meticulous, a God who allows His rod and His staff to comfort us, a God who created the earth and who sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9). This God is enough and He is worthy of following. I was thankful to be behind our guide for a portion of the hike to witness how he took small steps during the uphill. He probably could have taken bigger steps, but for the sake of the group, and the little energy we all had, his steps were intentional and methodical. I didn't want to follow them, and didn't want to trust that he always knew what the best method of ascension was, however, it was humbling to trust his steps over my own. God always uses unexpected experiences and people to humble us and to take us beyond a life we had planned for ourselves. I am so thankful God loves and teaches, even when I am a terrible listener.

I have returned home to an empty apartment and it feels hard to swallow after spending a week with a group of people. I have come here with an open heart, in hopes that it will be reminded again of God's goodness and greatness, regardless of whether I am gasping at His creation in Arizona, or staring at a painted apartment wall. Music playing, it is grace that grants clarity, to walk in a "manner worthy of the calling to which I have been called", walking, breathing, doing to will a heart overwhelmed with thankfulness, that it my hope and deepest longing, or at least that is the determined desire of my head :) I am so glad to have experienced this trip and am thankful to return home with the memories of that Grand Adventure!

Thankful

Today,

I am thankful for cold weather. I am thankful for applications that make me think. I am thankful for the ability to type, to allow the time I have to be filled with both learning and relaxation. I am thankful for Sundays. I am thankful for grace. I am thankful for growth. How often can I use "I" in a sentence before it becomes rather obnoxious? God is so good, He is so patient, unwavering, and enduring. Today, He is beyond my understanding like the days when my vision stings with tears. He is the same God when I wept bitterly outside the business school, He is the same God when I worshipped in Houston, surrounded by thousands of other believers, and He is the same God in Jeremiah who is pleading to the Israelites to remain under the Babylonian rule. If I could re-write this timeline I would change things, I could assume I know what is best, but I don't and I'm thankful for that :)

Today, He reigns, He is risen!