By The Grace of God...
Wednesday Morning June 6, 2012
... in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will guide your paths.
I can still smell the rain from last night's storms as I sit on the porch of this log cabin in Lakeland, FL on a beautiful horse farm. The modest structure, with a single living/dining room, tiny kitchenette, and a couple of bedrooms isn't a place I had ever pictured myself. Yet, here I sit, taking in the warm and moist air of a summer morning. I marvel at the journey God traced out that led me to this place.
(After writing these words, which I have to admit I wrote and emailed to myself from the plane on the way back to Ohio the following day, I decided that the song in this clip best sets a musical mood. The video is good, too. Bonus, I suppose. Read on. )
One of my favorite musical scores, tracing a man's mid-life despair, continually asks the questions, "How did you get to be here? What was the moment? What did you have to go through?"
No need to trace everything I've gone through. Another one of those things that would bore you to death.
But sitting here, I can answer that first question to some extent. i got here through a series of moments. Moments of grace, not a one of which I deserved. There were moments of saying "no" to everything I thought I wanted; to the fleshly things I thought could fulfill me, to the career plans and seeming financial security and life path I had planned to follow. These were intermingled with moments of saying "yes".
YES! (whenever I could find the faith) to the grace of God and love of Christ. YES! to the raising of kids, both homemade and those we trekked around the world to find. YES! to abandoning career and financial security. YES! to seemingly crazier and crazier paths to be here. YES! to anything the Lord lays in front of me.
I found myself this morning on an old porch swing feeling I am in the very place that God had planned all along. At mid life, the God-given dreams live on; and they're only beginning to take shape. Neither my wife nor I would ever have chosen this path or even imagined the life that we are living. We spend alot of time asking ourselves, "How did we get to be here?" Life is more complicated day after day than I ever wanted; more difficult, challenging, and complex than I care to deal with. But, like good Cuban coffee, my life is richer, more flavorful, deeply more satisfying than I ever knew it could be.
God has seen fit by His grace to bring me here. To a dusty porch swing at a log cabin in central Florida where, for a few precious moments, I can reflect on how blessed I am. I eagerly await the moments to come.
Brother, let me start by saying I love you! Call me selfish, but I'm admittedly glad you listened to our Father, as His plans brought your family into our lives, and we're blessed for it.
ReplyDeleteI remember the times at Tamara's Dad's cabin in WV. 86 acres in the middle of a valley, a stream, and peaceful quiet that is oh so rare these days... I loved it there, but it hurts a little to think about how much more I'd have enjoyed it had I known our Savior Jesus back then...
But the great news is that now I can ponder that, and all the other mysteries of life with God wherever I am, scenic or not. I feel I'm still at the beginnings of my journey, and it's exciting (and scary) to think about where He may take us. Thanks for being a part of that my brother.
I have to tell you, I loved the song. I am not familiar with the artist, but he reminded me somewhat of Chris Rice and Rich Mullins... Don't exactly know why, but it was a great song. And the video was certainly a bonus. Some great modern shots, and I loved the 'old time' film affect on the older shots! Thanks for sharing, and God Bless.
Thx, Shawn! Love you back. The artist is Andrew Peterson, sort of the heir apparent to Rich when he first came on the scene right after Rich died. Actually his first well known song mentions Rich by name (Nothing To Say). Check out more of his stuff. Really good.
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