As is the norm these days, things have been moving rapidly. What seemed to have come crashing down a few weeks ago is slowly building back up. God is sustaining me just as I knew He would and always will. I've been desperate to meet with Him as much as possible... something I am so grateful for. It doesn't always look the same, but God is. Some days it looks like a 3 minute devo reading on the go. Other times it looks like an hour walk, listening to scripture being read to me by my Bible app. And Yet other times it looks like me in the sanctuary by myself, playing guitar/piano and simply being with God. No matter how long I've walked with the Lord, it never ceases to amaze me that He loves me and that He knows absolutely every single thing about me, down to the smallest detail. My wants, needs, desires, anxieties, etc.. I take solace in that. Even on days when I don't seek Him with all I am, He is. Praise the Lord. I was listening to Acts tonight on my walk... it seems like that's been my go-to book for much of this past year. I love the beauty and power of the early Church. I love how the believers were so unified and moving together with one purpose, towards one goal. Sometimes I just want to find an "upper room" and pack it with believers and pray and study God's word with no restrictions or qualms. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Doesn't it sound encouraging? The North American Church (at times, myself included) is a sleeping giant. What if we woke up and really started living out our original purpose... being in relationship with God and sharing Christ with every person we come in contact with?
I spent a good part of my weekend with family and close friends. It was a rejuvenating, comfortable time after a crazy week. On Monday, I stopped at the store on my way to spend the day with said family and friends. I was asked to pick up an item to bring to our little feast. Pulling into the parking lot, I was not at all surprised to see it jam-packed with cars. Of course everyone was picking up last minute stuff for their BBQ's. This is the only supermarket near my house and on the way to my gathering. I was in the store for less than 5 minutes and I saw 2 people that I know. Those who've lived here longer would probably run into many more on a trip like mine, but it made me realize how much of a change living the small town life is for me.
The city I grew up in, Naperville, IL, has about 150,000 people. It's a large suburb of Chicago with 6 high schools that are bursting at the seams. There were probably 5-8 large grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of my home. This isn't to say that you never saw anyone, but it was nothing like living here. Here, when I walk to get my mail, I hear later that 2-4 different people saw me getting my mail. When I walk my dog, I get honked at and waved at by at least 4 people every time I'm out. There's nothing really close by, or so it seems. I'll bet it took me about 15 minutes to get to the bowling alley in IL, but there was a TON in between my house and there. Getting places here, means driving through the country. None of these things are bad, they're simply observations. I'm used to a faster paced lifestyle and perhaps... a less invasive lifestyle. I didn't question what my neighbors were doing. People were not as involved in each others personal lives. And then when I was in Uganda is was a totally different lifestyle... read: city-living at a fast yet, somehow dreadfully slow country pace. It's hard to describe, but I loved it.
When I think about the differences of each lifestyle, I can find faults and beauty in all of them. When I think about them coinciding with the early church, I'm not sure any of them meet those "standards" so to speak. And yet, each different culture has the opportunity to share Christ as much as any of the others... it's just a matter of actually doing it.
When I was in the store on Monday, I quickly walked past one of the people I knew. I wasn't intending to be rude, but they didn't see me, and it was my goal to be in and out as fast as possible. The second person saw me and waved a brief greeting, which I returned. Without putting God in a box, I'd venture to say that Jesus wouldn't have just walked on by that first person without asking them how they were doing. Somehow in my faster-paced suburban attitude, it was easy to just breeze on by, assuming they were doing well.
There are days when I'm more than frustrated with the way the roads are laid out here and how far everything is, but then there are other times like tonight, when I'm walking my dog and watching the sunset over the trees as a deer grazes in a field, undisturbed by our close proximity, and I'm grateful. I'm learning to be content with where ever God places me. There's too much breath-taking creation to waste time being sour.
On a completely different note, I read this blog post (and this 2nd part) this week and encourage anyone and everyone to read it. It's great for newly weds, soon-to-be weds, not even close to getting married's (singles), and for old married people.
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