If you regularly read my blog, you will know that a few weeks ago, I had training camp in Georgia. Well, I live in Michigan, and I decided that driving to Georgia would be a good idea. Yep… that’s a total of about 18 hours in the car (30 hours if you include the stop in Ohio to spend the night at my squadmate Rebecca’s house and transfer to her carpool with Laura and Kari). What do you do with that kind of time and 3 women you just met?
The drive down was interesting to say the least. We talked, shared our hearts, shared some great laughs, and made some unforgettable memories. We snacked on doughnuts, sipped coffee, and sang our hearts out to Celine Dion and Backstreet Boys. Before we arrived to training camp, we were all feeling the nerves. We couldn’t back out now. We were in this, even though we had no idea what to expect when we drove into the campus of Toccoa Falls College. We pulled off to the side of the road to pray together. To pray over our week. To ask God to work in our hearts.
I’ll skip over the part about training camp itself; there are MANY blogs out there about that week (including the 11 things I learned, here). But as we, the same 4 girls that just a week prior were strangers, pulled out of camp at the end of the week, we left as changed women. Our drive back was amazing.
Windows down. Arms (and the occasional feet) hanging out. Worship music blaring so loud you couldn’t even hear yourself singing along. Passing through the Rocky Mountains with walls in a beautiful array of jagged, angled edges that seemed to defy physics. The occasional sprinkle of rain that hit your exposed skin with just enough force to leave it tingling.
In a word: magical.
I found myself consumed by the awe and majesty of God in every tree, every rock, every cloud, and every river. I could not have imagined Heaven to be any better.
I originally intended to write this blog solely on the events of that trip back home. How God showed himself to me through the mountains, the trees, the nature around me. How He spoke directly to my soul through our worship. But then God showed me His true nature.
I realized that God was in everything. Every joke. Every toe tickled by the wind. Every bit of our soul exposed. Every word of worship. Every bathroom break to stock up on snacks. Every word of encouragement. Every concern. Every nap. Every rock. God is the God of the little things, and He wants to make Himself known to us in everything we do. When was the last time you REALLY connected with God in your everyday life?
