Blessed in the Journey

Imagine a professional basketball stadium filled with 17,000 teenagers and their chaperones, assembled for one purpose, to praise God. It's dark and loud as the chatter of anxious teens wait for the program to start. Suddenly a voice comes alive, louder than the chatter and a spot light shines down on the stage. The program begins and the story of Jesus death and resurrection plays out in front of us. It is breath taking...beautiful...sad… and glorious all in one breath. I am so moved by the Spirit, I cry tears of joy and my heart is bursting with love for my Father who has given up so much to give me eternal life.

This was the scene in the summer of 1989 when I attended the LCMS National Youth Gathering in Denver, Colorado. The theme was Blessed in the Journey and it was the first such journey that I had taken without my parents for more than an over night. Now, here I was, over 1000 miles away from them for 5 days. I was 17, about to enter my senior year of high school, and I thought I already knew it all. But there was so much I didn't know and this trip opened my eyes to the ways of the world and the ways of God.

I don't remember going to church on a regular basis before I started confirmation classes in 7th grade. Every Saturday morning for two years, I would sit with my Pastor and one or two other young ladies and we would study God's word. This was all new to me. I knew a few bible stories, but that was nothing compared to what I learned during those two years. They were indeed a blessing too.

I became more involved with the church and youth group after confirmation. I really enjoyed being with my new found friends. We were a very active youth group that spilled over into Sunday School. We had an excellent teacher who always seemed to challenge me to think outside of the box. I appreciated his teaching style and learned a lot about myself during those years too.

Many years later, I find myself wanting to find a way to reach out to others and share, but my guarded approach has not always been conducive to that. My nature is to be quiet yet inquisitive of others, keeping my personal life just out of their reach. When the fog of life settles upon me though, this is one of my greatest regrets. So one of my repeated prayers has been to find a way to reach out to a bigger community and share. I pray that this blog is just such the medium to accomplish that and I finally have the courage to try.

My journey has not always seemed like a blessing at the time, but I have learned that all things happen according to God's will and timing, not mine. I continue to learn and grow in God's word every day. I am amazed by His forgiving spirit and enduring love. There is still so much I do not know, so my journey continues with it's twists and turns of life.

Always anxious to see the next chapter, I pray you will journey with me, checking in and sharing your experiences and blessings, even if it doesn't seem like a blessing at the time.