Rest

Rest is not something I do well.  I don't know if it goes back to the modeling of my parents, my own personality, or my sometimes desire to escape the difficult things in life, but I work a lot.  A lot.

With the submission of the book to the printer, I suddenly found that a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I left as quickly as I could to go back to that place where God met me 2 years ago through the story Till we Have Faces.  This time, my only job was to rest.  With tears in my eyes, I gave myself permission to just be.

And rest, I did.  There is something special about that place.  Perhaps it is the prayers that, for 25 years, have been lifted up for all those who would come.  Perhaps it is the willingness of those who come to put aside everything for a moment to listen for the voice of God.

I was able to think and pray through some important things.  I was able to again pray that God would take the book wherever and to whomever he wants it to go.  I was able to pray about my future and the things that I am holding deeply within my heart.

I also read through my journal for the past year.  Wow.  The journey that the book has taken to get where it is is something that I cannot even describe.  After years of preparation, the first draft took just a month and a half to get on paper.  July 7 was the day I really started writing.  My community has gone through some intense suffering too--lightning strike, sickness, car accidents, death of those close to us.  There were times when we all felt a little like Frodo, trying just to get the ring to where it was supposed to go.  So many times, I did not know how I was going to make it another day, or take just one more step on the journey. That we made it is a testament to how God has been with us.