As the quiet set in today, the contemplative process also began in anticipation of the New Year. What did I accomplish over the year? How did I love others or express gratitude? What did I learn that I can carry with me into the New Year? What are my hopes and dreams? How can I cling to the understanding of the sacredness of the journey despite the circumstances?
I think about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years waiting to arrive in the Promised Land, home. It was a long journey full of miracles and hardships, wandering and battles, the awe of faith and the searching found in doubt. It was in God's timing and it was a sacred journey. God delivered on his promise but not without struggles. He used hardships to show his character and cultivate trust. By teaching the Israelites who he was, they could learn who he created them to be. Just like the Israelites, God does the same for us on our journeys. The wandering and mistakes really teach us reliance and grace. The times of want help us recognize and appreciate times of plenty. When we come to the end of ourselves, it allows us to be filled and to feel the power of the one who created us. The power of the Divine fills the weak. Each circumstance and lesson is a sacred part of the journey to home, the Promise Land.
I drove last weekend for a quick holiday visit with my parents. They live in a small town in Virginia. I lived there for a couple of years as a young child but have spent a lifetime of visits there. The house that was in my family for decades may belong to someone else now but it represents so many memories. Memories of my grandmother calling cows and buying us penny candy from the general store, ice skating on a frozen pond after a big snow storm, the birth of my brother, a summer trip in High School when I needed respite, saying a final goodbye to my aunt on her last night on earth and burying my grandmother. I can still walk in a store and see someone from my childhood. It is where my parents retired. And, it is a part of me.
I feel that familiarity every time I travel the roads to my new home which is really in the country. I see the farmers working the cattle and their fields. I love seeing riding lessons being given at the stable down the road. It touches me to see people care even for the smallest creatures like stopping on a country road to move a turtle to the other side so it didn't get hit. A community where small beautiful neighborhoods exist next to working farms and old churches. It is familiar to me because of my life experiences. It feels like home. And yet, not quite. But, a sense of community, hard work and beauty in the land is like a glimpse of heaven. It is because I take with me all my experiences on my journey. God intended them for me as he leads me into my purpose and towards home. My sacred journey.
2020 has been challenging for me. There have been so many adjustments and isolation. And in many ways, it has felt like life was put on hold. It has been kind of like wandering the desert. I know for others, this year has come with great loss. While many losses can seem and feel so senseless, I find hope in the belief that there is always a glimmer of blessing that can come even at the darkest of times. There is more to our story than the worst choice, the biggest accomplishment, the greatest loss or the most amazing miracle. God still has plans for you and me- plans to give us a hope and a future. Sometimes those plans feel hard. Sometimes they feel like wandering in a desert.
And yet, just like the Israelites, we are learning about the Divine and who we were created to be. The gifts and the struggles, the heartaches and the joy, and times of faith and doubt are all are a part of our sacred journey. We are all just working our way towards home. The more we take in the sacredness of the journey, the more we experience the Divine, the closer we feel to our real home. A glimpse of heaven come down to earth.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and experience the sacredness of your journey in the New Year!
Much love,
Sallie
