I Leave In Ten Days

One year ago, I visited my daughter in Ashville, NC, and we went to the Biltmore where I walked the hallways in the basement and happened upon this lonely tree, illuminated by light coming from somewhere I could not see. I never could have imagined then what I would be doing twelve months later.

In ten days, I leave for Saipan. Yes, I was there all summer, but it just didn't seem like quite enough time to get to know the place. So, I am going back. And I am going back small.

By that I mean I have donated all my worldly goods, except for five boxes of memories my family needs to pass the torch of our family history to the next generation of storytellers, and three suitcases of things I think I need, clothes, books, an Isabel Bloom mourning dove my friends gave me after Larry died, and a pendulum clock I bought in Germany.  I also mailed myself several flat-rate boxes of more books, the ones too heavy for a suitcase.

Why so many books?

I like books. But more than that, most are books I collected to write the term papers that are upcoming this year in my final year of college.

My official explanation for why I am downsizing is to "study abroad" in Saipan for my senior year of college, and then be small enough to go wherever the Lord Jesus may send me. I am hoping he will keep me right there for quite a while. But who knows?

Getting small to become mobile sounds like a good explanation, but in all honesty, there is more to it. It has to do with spiritual formation. Disciplines that lead one into a more intimate relationship with God. Simplicity is one of those disciplines. How hard would it be to ditch the American Dream for a season? Or forever? How hard would it be to retreat inward spiritually while stretching outward physically to connect with a world that sees, and speaks, and thinks, radically differently from the way I have been trained to see, speak, and think all my life? The desire to experience an authentic connection with both God and people has been driving my thoughts lately.

What might prayer become in such a life, freed from the tyranny of stuff? What might compassion look like, or generosity, or freedom? You see, the things that keep us unconcerned, clutch-fisted, or caught by the fleeting desires of the age, are things we keep caged within our hard hearts. Things bound to time instead of eternity. Things prized for beauty instead of character. Things virtual instead of real.

I leave in ten days, not knowing what the next year will bring. I expect it will not be like any year I have had before.

Comments

  1. Joanne Berge TofslieOctober 19, 2019 at 7:47 AM

    Amy, I am excited to see what God has planned for you! Thank you for sharing what he is already teaching you. I look forward to following your journey. Joanne����

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 19, 2019 at 5:45 PM

    had such a refreshing time with you last week. Will be praying as you go that God will use you mightily!

    ReplyDelete

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