The hours flee and my departure date nears... Oct. 8, 2010. Two years ago "Fall of 2010" felt forever away--an arbitrary time frame pulled out of the sky. I had plenty of time, and much to learn/do. Now... it's here. With a ticket in my hand. And suitcases to pack. The phone rings from time to time - another familiar voice, another goodbye. Goodbye comfortable, familiar normalcy. Hello Africa and the unfamiliar, new, and different.
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139:1-10, NASB
It's moments like these I hear His reminders... in any unknown and all uncertainty... it is the known I can cling to and be absolutely certain of--HIS PERFECT LOVE. HIS provision. HIS grace. HIS strength and peace. HIS unchanging faithfulness and sovereignty. This story isn't mine... it's that of a King, a Kingdom, and a Love I have yet to fully grasp.
So, I sit here, preparing my tax deductions and paperwork for next spring... because that's what's in front of me this afternoon. What's in front of you?
