So here we are. On a plane to Costa Rica ready to begin a year that will change the rest of our lives. The goodbyes have been said, tears have been shed, and now there really is no turning back. I spent majority of December buying gear, sending the last of my letters, and having occasional visits with friends. With all the business came stress and the pressure to have deadlines and stick to them (something I'm definitely challenged by). During my very last days in Michigan I spent time explaining my month and how I was feeling about the Race to countless people, and it took a day of fellowship to help me process and understand what all the fuss had been about…
Pruning.
prune
2 v. [with obj.] trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.Jesus says..
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me."
–John 15:1-4
tattoo I got last year symbolic of verse 4. unless I'm abiding in Christ then I'm not bearing fruit.
For all of December it wasn't coincidence that I was crying over the little things like when the bookstore didn't have the book I wanted, or the coffee shop was closed (heaven forbid). Nor was it coincidence that my eyes were being opened to a ton of sin in my life. Yet through it all I was realizing day by day how incredible the grace of God is. I believe in seasons of life, seasons of growth and change, seasons of challenge and tribulation, seasons of joy or sorrow.
To begin this new season of life with the World Race I could not be more thankful for the relationship God and I developed over the last month. Going into Launch I had experienced every emotion on the planet, but ultimately I was filled with thanksgiving and excitement for what is ahead.
A song that fits perfectly with my last two months is an old favorite called
Poison Tree by Ghost Ship.
Find it here:
http://marshill.bandcamp.com/album/a-river-with-no-end
