"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:10 (one of my favorite verses!)
On the Way Back to Kansas City from Ohio....
A lot of things were going through my head as I traveled back from Ohio. Emotions and thoughts of the past 40 days of desert experience were fresh in my mind. It was a mixed bag; wanting to return home to my family and six kids and missing the family, comforts, and familiarity that I was having to leave behind in Ohio. I also wanted to remain with my dad and sister in Indiana to help out during his surgeries, but I can't be two or three places at once. God didn't choose to create us with omnipresence. Thank goodness that there is no distance in the spirit.
Yet I am thankful. I am also thankful for modern technology where we can stay connected with others like never before! I am also thanking the Lord for the time of reconnecting with family/friends during the past 6 weeks. It was a true blessing.
Both Ohio and Missouri hold a spot in my heart for various reasons. My sister summed it up the best when she said that Ohio was our childhood home and Missouri has been our adult home. For both of us and our families this has been true. This past year marked a milestone...that I have lived out of Ohio for as long as I have lived in it... 18 years a piece! By August it will be official that I have lived apart from Ohio longer.
I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if I didn't have to leave Ohio - it's hard to be separated from the ones you love. Living there has made a huge impact on who I am and where I am going in life. I also know, however, that God has stretched my faith and horizons by living apart from where I grew up. This is not a must for everyone (to move away from where you were born), but for some reason, it has been in God's will for my life.
Experiencing what we did with mom's passing... I know that there is coming a day when none of us will have to apart any longer. It's the blessed hope of heaven. The way things keep going in the world makes us long all the more for Christ's return and we understand Scripture all the more where His people are told to pray "Lord, come quickly" and would yearn for Him.
But, as we tarry, I know that God has us out here in the middle of the country for a reason. I know without a doubt that Kansas City is where we are supposed to be at this particular point in time. Driving on I-70, we began to get into familiar surroundings. As we began to get into the city and could see the familiar downtown lights glaring their haze on the horizon, the radio began to speak to me: "Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." At that moment downtown came into view and I knew that this city is definitely where God placed me. The chorus continued to build... "Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." Yes, Lord, I heard you!!!! It just kind of put God's stamp of approval/acknowledgment of what was happening in my life and that I needed to continue to look forward to what God is doing and getting ready to do not only in me, but in this city that I have poured my heart into through prayer and ministry! Believe it or not... I have never heard this song before in my life. What an impact it had on me!
Listen to the song by Chris Tomlin:
Can't you just feel the anointing! ?
