I'm sipping coffee, and I know its clearly not tea, but well... its still a hot drink so it'll fly as a title I guess. So February is here and has not blown in here in Cambridge quite as it has in Chicago. We've missed out on the two feet of snow/ice storm of 2011. Oh darn. Stay warm and safe all my dear ones in the tundra of the States! Going to be honest though, I don't envy you. I love snow... while its snowing, and before it gets slushy and dirty. But I think I've transitioned quite easily to the idea of cutting winter short in exchange for this marine climate of greening grass, windy days (as of late), and the occasional bicycle ride to what has now become my bench. The other day I rode across town in search of the Botanical Garden... turns out I rode right past it twice and didn't even know it. I did end up at this lovely park with trees spindled around themselves like trees from the Lord of the Rings. Some trees here are so huge that their branches are literally growing on the ground! Anyway, so I sat on my "Me and God" bench next to the river. The sky was bright blue that day (don't get too jealous... its a rarity here for now)... a cool breeze was blowing as the sun glistened on the water and sank lower and lower in the afternoon sky. I sat and read a good book from a wonderful soul sister (you know who you are!). Here and there a few people with children, dogs, and significant others meandered by me... it was very peaceful. I love this place and I love these people, but I think that no matter how much you love being somewhere you still need to steal away for some alone time every once in a while. Much of society neglects the idea of this cleansing alone time, myself included I must admit. For the Jesus lover, this is even more critical as time spent in prayer and God's Word is vital to my life, to your life. That particular bench-discovery day I spent reading a lady's memoir about life and faith and God and family and grace and growth. While its a lovely book, how much more profound and healing to the soul is The Word of God! The weeks here seem to be flying by far too quickly. I am a future thinker and I like to feel in control of my life and emotions and actions. I like peace and quiet, but I also don't like to be alone for too long. God always seems to teach me a new level of trusting Him, loving others when it seems hard, and being content in His plan and timing for my life. These are some of the deep prayers of my heart, yet when God chooses to teach these lessons to me in ways that I dislike at the time, I get upset and confused. Isn't that just like us humans? We ask for something, then when we get it we want it in a different way. Good thing we're loved by an amazing God whose love is so unlike our own attempts at love. Agape. Perfect love. Spend a time today perhaps, sitting and meditating on this undeserved love of God. Read about it in His Word... go for a walk in His creation... open your eyes to how He shows it to us every day... open your eyes to the opportunities He gives us each day to pour even a fraction of this love onto others.
I'm so thankful to be in England, though pieces of my heart are with people very far away right now. The differences in seasons between Cambridge and Indiana/Chicago has me thinking about seasons of life. How quickly they ebb and flow... how seemingly swiftly they change. Don't be like me in this, dear ones, don't wish time away by wishing things were somehow different in this moment. God is constantly at work whether we see it or not, and whether we want to hear that or not. He IS agape. It's in every fiber of His essence... and we sit in His hand. So what can man do to us? Rhetorical question. :) I'll try to take my own advice. It's probably not mine really anyways.
So whether you're in a tundra or spring's peeking out already... take a walk today... and remember Who it is that's walking with you. Cheers.
