In church this morning we sang ‘Beautiful Things’ by The Michael Gungor Band. It is one of my favorite songs. My mind usually goes back to Genesis when I hear this song and I think of how God created Adam out of the dust of the Earth, but today it struck a different chord with me. It isn’t always talking about people.
I have been back in America for almost two months now and I would be lying if I said it was easy. I miss so many things. I changed in ways I didn’t even realize until I returned to my own world and tried to fit in again.
I had many dreams that I thought I wanted. I have been asking myself over and over what I want to do next. I have been stuck on that question for months now. There are things that I used to want, and still want in a way that may never happen.
My world before that Race was built on something entirely different than it is now. I see my old world and my old dreams crumbling into dust.
“You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of dust.”
The words pounded in my ears as I heard them in church, in my own church where the sermons are always in English and I know there is no chance of being called up randomly to preach on a moment’s notice.
I miss my life on the Race very much. I miss my World Race family so much sometimes I can’t sleep at night. It is hard to let go. It is hard to move on and imagine that God has something better. I am back in my old world, but it feels like my old world has been destroyed.
But old things must be destroyed before new things can be built.
When we let our dreams be made into dust, then they can be made into something new.
It can hurt a little, it can hurt a lot. Giving up the past is hard, almost as hard as giving up the future.
I know who God is and what He can do. I finished The World Race. It is time to move on. But, the race is still going. The people I came to know and love will always stay with me. What I learned last year I will never forget. My life is still in the hands of the same One who held me all of last year. I am still I am still on a race for the world. I am still on a race for God. It is only the beginning.
God takes the dust from our demolished dreams and past and makes something beautiful.
