"A wandering Aramean is my mother (and my father)." That's the comment from my sons as they learned about how we're living right now. Most of our stuff is sitting in a truck waiting to be delivered to us the end of September. Some is with us in this tiny little duplex (some in boxes, some in suitcases) in which we currently find ourselves living. It's a nice, tidy little home, not the tent or groups of tents, Jacob, Leah and Rachel would have been in. But it is so small. Two little bedrooms, a very narrow galley kitchen, a living/eating room, and a bathroom so small that when sitting on the commode your right elbow is against the shower curtain, and on the left side the tp roll, attached to the vanity, is jabbing into your rib cage! It is very quiet. We never hear our neighbor, and she never hears us. The furniture they found for us to use is cozy, but I get why so many southern conferences are moving away from furnished parsonages. It's just not our stuff, and it's hard to get comfortable.
It feels like we've gone on a 3 month vacation and are living in a hotel suite. So I guess in many ways we are like Leah, Rachel, and Jacob, except when they moved from place to place they didn't need to change banks, and doctors, and dentists, and auto mechanics, and find new grocery stores, and meet a couple hundred new people all at once. Rachel, Jacob, and Leah, however had to move servants, flocks, herds, and tents. They had to be aware of the areas into which they were moving so they didn't encroach upon someone else's land or grazing space or water rights. But I do find myself spending hours at night gazing up at the heavens and watching the stars and clouds (and planes) go by, as I suspect they did, as well. And when they, without Rachel, finally went down into Egypt, they must have felt as much a stranger in a strange land as do I.
Loving God, when we consider the heavens, the moon and the stars, what are we humans that you care for us? The universe is so vast, and it astounds us that you do care about us and what happens to us. We do pray this day for all who are making their way in new places, who are discovering new paths, who are wondering which way to go next. We pray for your Spirit's guidance in times of decision-making, for comfort in times of dis-ease, and for enough challenges to keep us busy in your name. We thank you for those who welcome us, who make our paths easier, who even lead us to places of physical and spiritual cool water. Remind us always to be thankful for your presence, and that you care for us in all of our lives............Amen
It feels like we've gone on a 3 month vacation and are living in a hotel suite. So I guess in many ways we are like Leah, Rachel, and Jacob, except when they moved from place to place they didn't need to change banks, and doctors, and dentists, and auto mechanics, and find new grocery stores, and meet a couple hundred new people all at once. Rachel, Jacob, and Leah, however had to move servants, flocks, herds, and tents. They had to be aware of the areas into which they were moving so they didn't encroach upon someone else's land or grazing space or water rights. But I do find myself spending hours at night gazing up at the heavens and watching the stars and clouds (and planes) go by, as I suspect they did, as well. And when they, without Rachel, finally went down into Egypt, they must have felt as much a stranger in a strange land as do I.
Loving God, when we consider the heavens, the moon and the stars, what are we humans that you care for us? The universe is so vast, and it astounds us that you do care about us and what happens to us. We do pray this day for all who are making their way in new places, who are discovering new paths, who are wondering which way to go next. We pray for your Spirit's guidance in times of decision-making, for comfort in times of dis-ease, and for enough challenges to keep us busy in your name. We thank you for those who welcome us, who make our paths easier, who even lead us to places of physical and spiritual cool water. Remind us always to be thankful for your presence, and that you care for us in all of our lives............Amen
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