For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to
gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to
turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit
searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time for love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For me now, a time for anger and confusion, a time of wonder and questioning. Or at least a time for my flesh to feel these different things.
This past week one of our team leaders and one of my best friends went back home to the states. Dakota Chance, what a human. The first guy I met from my squad back at training camp in July. When asking him to help set up my tent as a conversation starter for us being the only guys there yet, it worked and we got really close really fast. Throughout training camp growing closer as brothers in Christ, talking about the serious things and the not so serious things we looked forward doing together on and off the race. Being able to spend time together during the rest of the summer before launch, whether it be driving back and forth over the North Carolina/Tennessee state line to watching little kids show us up at the skatepark. Always talking about the little and big things we looked forward to about living on the field together and pointing each other back to Christ.
His obedience to the Lord in this time of returning home to the states through the multiple different things he felt is truly inspiring to the whole squad. Walking in what he told me felt like embarrassment, confusion, and something his flesh felt wasn’t right, yet being obedient to the Lord through all of this. With unsure direction, this obedience to Christ in something that felt not right led to him feeling a sense of peace when coming to the decision of going home. Something that I can’t really come to peace with at this time, but I know the Lord will bring me peace with it all in His own planning.
Abba, you take and you give. I don’t understand it and I don’t think I ever will. For me right now its a time of taking. Taking a person away from something you directly crossed our paths into. Something you handpicked the both of us for, placed us together and now drawing a line between our paths for the due time. Why. I don’t get it. Giving this amazing journey for us to look forward to taking on as brothers of you and for you Lord, but then cutting it short. Allow me to understand you have a reason for this. That this is merely just a second of time compared to what you have for us in your kingdom Lord. That something big is to come out of this and from you, influencing the way we both walk every single day. That this time of taking is also a time of giving, although I don’t understand now, I will when you choose to let me. Allow my stubbornness to not overcome my trust in you Lord, so I may not look past or fail to see the greatness you have to come out of this. To allow myself to follow in the obedience that you have let Dakota walk in, the way in which he is truly and undeniably listening to you Lord. Father I pray for you to fill the both of us with the answers to the questions we have for you, for there are so many. In his time of confusion and questioning, give my brother the peace he needs, your guidance, the strength of you, and the mindset to look to you no matter where this might take him. Thank you for being the father that you are and allowing Dakota to follow you so well through the darkness and the light Lord.
