Its the holiday season! The most wonderful time of the year! Last Friday we roasted chestnuts on an open fire and walked in winter wonderlands. Like most of us do, I LOVE Christmas. I love the joy that you feel when you pass someone in the mall or in Walmart and you share a smile, simply because it’s Christmas time. I enjoy the time spent hanging ornaments on the christmas tree or watching classic Holiday films. To me, Christmas means laughing till your stomach hurts with family you haven’t gotten to see in far too long, and giving gifts to ones you love simply because you love them!
I am sure many of you reading this have heard the story of the wise men. However, in case you forgot, here’s a quick recap: The wise men found out about the birth of a king and desired to visit him. So they followed a star all the way to Bethlehem where Jesus resided. Here, they offered Jesus gifts and worshiped him. Now, what would happen if we took one aspect of this story out? Without the wise men this account never happened … take out the star and the wise men are left wandering! In this story and throughout history, God has lived in the details of everything, so that no story or event goes incomplete. This is especially true in my life. I may not have seen it at the time, but God has thrived in the details that have lead me all the way to the World Race.
The summer before second grade, my family moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Greenville, North Carolina. Here, I attended Oakmont Baptist Church where I met my friend Rachel. She and I were the best of friends! Then, after third grade, her family made the jump from Greenville to Atlanta. I constantly missed my good friend. So, we took it upon ourselves to continue our friendship! Since then, Rachel has moved back to North Carolina to a city just a few hours from Greenville and we are still best friends. (A little anecdote about Rachel: This past Summer, she went on a mission trip to Honduras with Adventures in Missions. After joining this organization on a short term trip, she began to inquire about the World Race: Gap Year.) This past September, Rachel and I went to visit her grandparents. We got to catch up and tell one another about all the things that we had experienced since we had last seen one another. It was on this trip that she told me about AIM and their program the World Race: Gap Year. We spent that whole weekend looking at different routes and videos about those who have been or are currently on the world race.
It is because of this God-given friendship that I am going on this amazing journey. God has truly existed in the details of my life as well as the life of Rachel to give us the endurance to pursue a long distance friendship. Just like God sent a star to guide the wise men to Jesus, God has sent me a friend to help show me where I am meant to be and to complete my story.
Leave in the comments where you see God placing “stars” in the details of your life!
