I love our home. While I did enjoy our time living on post the first year we were here, I am truly thankful that the Lord led us to this house to rent off-post. It’s just far enough away from the main city without being too far away. It’s in an older neighborhood, which I LOVE because that means it has TREES! Full grown trees, and lots of them.
Our backyard is fenced and there are huge trees on every side of the fence. For a second, I can almost forget there are houses next door and behind me. I absolutely love being out in God’s creation. At night I can sit on the deck, look up and see so many STARS! That is something you don’t see in the middle of the big city with all the lights drowning out the majesty that is the galaxy.
Tonight the air is cool so I wrapped up in a blanket and sat in one of our patio chairs. I just stared at the stars in wonder and listened to the sounds of the night. Crickets. Frogs. Neighborhood dogs. Some children getting to stay out late and play. I turned on some music on my phone and listened to “Here I Am” by Downhere.
Sometimes Your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes in comes in the Spirit’s breeze
You reach for the deepest hope in me
And call out for the things of eternity
But I’m a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say
Chorus
Here I am, Lord send me
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan,
Here I am
When setbacks and failures, and upset plans
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands
Are You not the closest when it’s hardest to stand
I know that You will finish what You began
And these broken parts You will redeem
Become the song that I can sing
Chorus
Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness
And the fear that I’ll fail You in the end
In this mess, I’m just one of the pieces,
I can’t put this together but You can
Chorus
Here I Am, all my life an offering to You, to You
Somehow my story is a part of Your plan
Here I am
I don’t know what’s next in our story of life, but I know that as a family God is teaching us to just say “Here we are, Lord” and to surrender our dreams and plans to Him.
There is a peace – a serenity – that comes washing over me when I truly surrender myself to God’s plan. When I stop trying to make my plan for my life happen. When I stop trying to figure out how my plan could suit Him and instead look for how I can live out his plan.
The Lord has me in this place, at this time for a reason. If I make the choice to sit still and listen to His voice – to rest in His serenity – I just might find out why I’m here and what it is that He wants me to do for Him in this place, at this time.
Here I am, Lord.