"i want to meet with you"

Yesterday, I had a revelational idea:

Like many mornings, I worked an early shift at Starbucks (4am-9am) and afterwards I started driving up to Purcellville for my other job. Well I only work 20 hours a week in Purcellville, and every Monday we're supposed to have a meeting at 5:15 (this is because all our interns are students and it's hard to get them all in the same room at the same time). Because I work there 5 hours, 4 days a week...it seemed illogical for me to come in at my usual 10:30 time and then stay til 6:15. But I was already halfway to P-ville when I realized that.

Normally, I take Rt 15 to Church Harmony Rd or Rt 7 West. But instead I drove up Rt 15 until I reached Leesburg's old town district, and I parked by the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (I think one of these days I'll bring my bike up there to ride after work). I sat down under a pagoda and ate my yogurt. I was going to get into the Word, but then I had to pee real badly. I did not want to cut my time short, so I went to find somewhere to pee. It was only fitting that I was by a creek, laden with rocks, but it was too much in the open for me to urinate at a public park.

I walked into a development of houses, thinking it'd lead to a street (Leesburg is confusing
) but it didn't. Instead, over a bunch of buildings I saw the sign (and it opened up my eyes). It said something about natural foods. And my heart jumped in rejoice. I walk down there hoping I wouldn't have to buy an $8 apple to use their bathroom. But they were hippies and so they let me. They warned me that they used their bathroom for storage, and was astounded that it was covered with books. I could've spent all day in that bathroom looking at their strange books. So I'm a big food nerd, but honestly not too many of their books appealed to me....a lot of them were about health and boring stuff like that. I wanted something more like the philosophical reasons why you should eat organic- nothing.

And then I went to a Cigar and Pipe store. And bought a a small pipe and cloves. I was elated. I tried to smoke when I returned to my spot, but it was too windy. I read Isaiah 55 and a couple Psalms and spent some time there. And then I left.

It may seem insignificant. But its things like this that I truly relish. Sometimes you just can't travel from one job to another and work non-stop. You need to slow yourself. Your need rest. Most importantly, I needed to spend time with my Father. This was the reason I stopped...but most of my time was spent exploring.

I know that doesn't sound restful. But exploring is both restful and exhilarating to me. In my walk with God, I explore a lot of things, and I am always exploring. Life is no fun when you can't explore.

I was lacking it. In fact, I had been lacking a lot of myself. Even when I was depressed in school, I was never quite as happy as I was there. But now I'm learning happiness, and accepting what God has for me. I feel like life is becoming full again. Christ is changing me all over again.