Unpacking

Unpacking…

I got back yesterday from a 12 day trip to Israel. After spending a little time with my family I started the unpacking process. Mostly dirty clothes and some items picked up here and there for family. Unpacking is not the most fun part of traveling. I needed to start laundry, put things back where they belong; you know the process. I ended up with quite the mess as I sorted through things and tried to reorganize and readjust to being home.

Mentally I have been trying to unpack a little as well. We visited at least 3-4 sites a day, some days even more places. Each spot seemed to have it’s own story to tell and made it’s own impression. There was also a beautiful group of people to share with, with quite a wide age range and from eight different nations.

I am almost done with the physical unpacking but I know the mental unpacking is going to take considerably longer. I have had several people ask me what was most meaningful for me. I am one of those people that hate the question- “What was your favorite ____?” It’s not that I am indecisive but I just see the value in variety and it is difficult to narrow down one favorite. So while I cannot give one favorite thing, I will give you the two strongest impressions I have after spending a day thinking about it (by the way this answer might change next week- but for today…)

We constantly have to choose between fear and faith. As I reheard many bible stories this week, it was a consistent theme. And while we often will fail and become fearful, God is still there offering a hand of mercy. The other encompassing impression is the unfathomable immenseness of our God. Being in a land with so much history and ruins of enormous size, jumping around daily from BC to 1st century and back to the present time, I was struck with both how silly we are to try and be “god” and how blessed we are that God does reach out to us. Realizing the prophecies that have been fulfilled, the lives that God has chosen to be intertwined with, the amazing way that the bible is a cohesive whole, it really is more than I can currently express. So I will instead try to take it site by site, which will still in no way come close to matching the glory of our God, but it will hopefully help me stay mindful of that which matters.

More to come…