Thursday, January 10, 2013

Perspective

I am blogging from high above the clouds. (Isn't modern technology amazing?) I know what is waiting for me when I get back...
Nine days worth of mail.
An empty refrigerator.
Suitcases full of dirty laundry.
Losing the 3-5 pounds of tortilla & fried chicken I gained.
Kids to school in the morning...right back to the rat race!

So, I am writing now...even though I haven't finished processing, but while it is still fresh.

There are many challenges associated with taking a first world family of five to a foreign culture...but there are many gifts as well.

The greatest one for us is escaping the ruts of daily life for fresh perspectives on this world. Honestly, I love many of my ruts...they are in my life because they are the comfortable paths I take time and time again. Nevertheless, they can be stifling. It is good to allow God to lift us out of them and onto a new path every now and again.

It makes me appreciate my life. It challenges me to be more grateful, to buy less, to love more.

This trip has also reminded me that sometimes God's presence is loud and clear...other times it is felt in our hearts without major fanfare or huge headlines. That's the kind of trip this has been.

I rejoice in the good work so many people are doing across this globe to the glory of God...from those who serve their whole lives in a small town in central Honduras to my opportunities for service from a home in Northwest Georgia.

Going is good, but its gifts are maximized when we bring them home. I am reminded that the greatest impact we can make is to look for ways to love our neighbors, doing small things with great love, right where we are.

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