Following the Faithful One...

Tomorrow, I will see Africa.  Even if I had the enormous (and admittedly overwhelming) emotional vocabulary list I was given in Texas, I think I would still struggle greatly to articulate accurately the enormous breadth and range of emotions that accompany that incredible first sentence.  So I breathe deeply, close my eyes, and repeat it again quietly to myself, assuring myself that I am not dreaming:

“Tomorrow, I will see Africa.

Feet: be prepared to dance upon her soil.

Heart: be prepared to pound, creating a glorious tempo to which this jubilant dance of celebration will be set.

Mind: be prepared for the torrent of worship that will flow forth from the depths of my soul.

Eyes: be prepared to see, through tears as warm and salty as the tropic waters that we are sailing through, a most awesome sight.”

I have dreamed of this day for as long as I can remember.  Yet, if I were to be perfectly honest, this is a day I have never dreamed of.  Every other childhood aspiration and hope I have had has been decimated, abandoned or surrendered – so why would this one be realized?  The last several nights, I have climbed into my bunk here on the ship afraid to go to sleep, afraid that when I wake up this most astounding dream will finally be over.  Tonight will be the last night I will carry that fear with me into my bunk – what an incredible thought!

Want to hear something crazy?  What leaves me most in awe isn’t actually the fact that I am really, truly going to be in Africa – what blows my mind is that this is absolutely not the way I ever imagined it would happen, and yet I cannot think of a more amazing way to experience this.  I have been reminded that not only does God know my heart, He created and designed my heart; therefore, He is able to fulfill the desires of my heart in ways I never dreamed possible – both the grandiose as well as the seemingly inconsequential dreams:

·         He knows that I have always longed to see Orcas, free to roam the open seas…and He sent Orcas.
·         He knows my heart thrills at being able to do random, geeky, uncommon things…and so we sailed through the “golden X”, where the Equator and Prime Meridian meet – the most rare of the line crossings.
·         He knows that few things cause me to feel more aware of His presence than being under an awesome, star-filled sky…and so He placed me on a ship in the middle of the ocean, hid the moon, and told the stars to rally their brilliance.
·         He knows that I have fought to make my work be my worship…and now I work in an office where I can sing along to awesome worship music, with a team that prays together, and for a man who has tasked me with finding an outreach opportunity I can partner with weekly during my work week!

The best part?  He knows that not every day will be like today…that there will be days when I think “anywhere but Africa!”, “any office but this one!”…that there will be times when I find this to be less of a dream and more of a nightmare.  He knows those days are coming far better than I do, and He will see them coming far before I do.  He will remember the covenants He has made, and He will prove Himself to be sufficient.  All I have to do is trust, obey, follow…because I serve a God who knows me, and Who leads me to places I never truly allowed myself to believe I would go – like Africa.