Stories

Surprise! I'm back! Contrary, perhaps, to speculation due to my failure to post in 3 months, I have not dropped beyond the realm of existence, gone into hiding, or moved to Mars (or anywhere else for that matter -- yet). I've just been...mmm...busy, for one thing, but also I guess I just haven't really been up to writing.

However, at work today, a semi-regular customer made a comment that really made me think. This customer is one that has been coming in at least since I transferred to this store two-and-a-half years ago (though I myself was gone for about 15 months), and he knows a little of my background of having lived in several (ok, 8) cities thus far in my life (7 of which I've lived in since graduating from high school). Anyway, somehow we got on the subject of all of my moving/traveling (or maybe it was just that I'd lived in Haiti for awhile; don't remember). I said something about sometimes wishing that I'd done things the "normal" way (i.e. graduate from high school and then go to ONE --maybe 2-- college[s] and graduate in 4-5 years, not move a jillion times, etc, etc). He then responded by saying, "Well, I'm sure you have a lot of stories now" (or something to that effect).

At the time, I thought that was kind of an interesting perspective but didn't really think too much about it; after all, there was coffee to be brewed, a pastry case to be restocked, and customers to be rung up. Later, though, it struck me that it's very true; I do have all kinds of stories because of the somewhat unusual way my life has played out to this point. Granted, not all (or even very many) of them are stories that would interest other people, but still, they are a part of my life that God has used to shape me into who I am. Even though many of these stories seem to have played themselves out and are little but distant memories, they still have value because God has taught me so much through the happy and the sad, the funny and the painful moments of my life. Not only that, but perhaps by remembering these things, He can even now show me how He has been at work in my life.

So that's my pondering for the day. Not terribly deep, but at least it's something. Maybe it will inspire me to write more often so that sometime in the future, I can look back on this point in my life and be able to better recognize God's sovereign direction towards ... well, I don't know what, right now anyway. But that's ok; I don't have to know the future. The important thing (and what I have to keep reminding myself) is that God is absolutely and entirely in control of the universe, He has a plan for my life, and all I have to do is seek Him and enjoy being His.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)