THE RACE

I could feel the earth turning when I would lay in the grass on my back and watch the clouds. I could almost hear the rumbling of the earth on it's axis. The air, wind, and grass all had their own personality, and would dance their way down the valley. I watched a great movie last night called, "The December Boys". Watching this movie made me remember how it feels to be a kid. When I was a kid, going on vacation was like going to a different, alternate universe. I would make up my own stories about the people I saw in the towns we went through. The air would smell different, it was as if I was experiencing someone elses' consciousness. I always had a deep connection with nature. An appreciation. In Autumn, leaves blew across the road as if in some kind a race. A race to death. A race to an adventure. I always imagined how sad some leaves seemed being away from the tree they were attached to for so long, and how other leaves seemed as though they couldn't wait to be free. To set out on their own in this magical world. When we leave our "tree", are we on a race to death? Or a race to an adventure? I remember when I set out on my own for the first time. It was Girl Scout Camp. Camp Conestoga. I think I was 14. We were the Ugashontins. Our mission that summer was to hike the Upper Peninsula of Michigan..The Porcupine Mountains. Two week away from home. Away from Iowa. Away from civilization. It was the first time I was really going to have to truly depend on myself. Needless to say, it was hard, dangerous, exciting, and wonderful all at the same time. I came back a changed person. I was stronger. Physically, mentally, spiritually. I felt truly free for the first time in my life. I remember feeling I could do anything! Watching that movie last night made me wonder..When did I loose that feeling? When did I start to just hum ho my way through this life? To not feel the earth rotate, or hear the wind, smell the air? Was I even racing? And, if so, to where? When we are racing through life, I wonder..are we racing to death? Or racing to an adventure? Are we racing to the next house payment? The next car payment? Are we racing to death? As teens, we can't wait to be on our own, in the "real world". We honestly believe we can do anything we "set our heart on" in this race. Now that I am older, I think that statement is so telling. What is our heart set on? The World? Our Cars? Our House? Our Children? Are we racing for the right thing? I say we should set our hearts on the Lord, and race to an adventure! When you are racing to an adventure, your heart beats harder, you smile, you anticipate, nothing will stop you. You are living. Well, I want to race towards an adventure, towards life. Towards Jesus. I started this blog entry wanting to talk about songs we used to sing on the mountain, and at camp, instead, I wrote about the song my soul sing. To Live! To Adventure! To Race Towards Him! To remember the amazement of life. Don't race towards death, and be the leaf that despite all of it's beautiful colors and changes, sadly falls in a puddle and waits to die. Be the leaf who is amazed at it's changes, and knows we are only here for a season, so find your adventure! RACE!