Part Four: What I Learned

So, as most of us know, Ari broke her butt in Istanbul almost THREE MONTHS AGO!! It simultaneously feels like it’s been seven years and approximately two seconds. 

Here’s the full story in all three of it’s glorious parts.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

And I bring you here to the final stage of our story. 

What I walked away from the whole experience with. 

     I did my best to paint a thorough picture of what our walk through the storm looked like, but even with it’s incredibly thorough 3 parts, there is STILL EVEN MORE nuiance than I can even explain in words, but my goodness, what a memory I’ll treasure forever.

     As many things do, this experience has had me looking back and reflecting on other related experiences. One of my stand out moments was being at my launch and going through the risk training that Adventures offers it’s participants as they launch onto the field and the hilarious Powells sharing a story of having their bus stopped due to city riot outside their windows. Something in me perked up at that, wishing for a similar story to tell.

FREAK!!

     No, I don’t think I’m alone in that. As I’ve shared this story with various people, many have had a wistful longing arise from somewhere inside for an adventure like the one I had. An opportunity to go through something hard side by side with others, to face peril and rise victorious. 

     It’s engrained on our hearts to want to go on an adventure, to get put to the test and see what we’re made of. I love examining the human heart’s longing for this pattern to play out. It transcends culture and preference and environment and touches on wiring. We long to live these stories. It’s the classic pattern of every major hit movie of our lifetimes and it’s uplifting. You leave the theater feeling a bit fuller, braver, more alive. I believe that this longing is a part of God’s design in our hearts. He’s wooing and beckoning and preparing us for life in Him. We’re longing for the life that comes from following a very good, very wild, very creative God who is going to lead us into situations and atmospheres unexplained and unimagined. He creates those environments even in our mundane day to day, highlighting people, beauty, humor, brokenness, and bringing to full life and color the world around us. Textured, distinct, vibrant, and stunning is what life with the Holy Spirit looks like. 

He’s the best story writer and story teller I’ve ever known, and I love it when that part of Heaven comes to Earth! So let’s examine the story’s major themes, shall we? 

 Before we ever got out of the car we prayed and what I heard was: “I will give you safe passage.” After I got my X-rays back  the first thing I realized is that my version of safe and God’s version of safe are not at all the same thing.

Not everything that is painful is harmful. 

      I’ve been encouraged over and over again by the sanctification that comes through suffering. I know that if God isn’t going to instantaneously heal, He is going to sustain me through pain. He will never leave me or forsake me, and I’m experiencing the goodness of healing even though it hasn’t always been through an instantaneous miracle. Both are SO good!! In the meantime, I continue to come before Him and ask persistently because I know He is able. It’s also been a sweet marker of growth in me in other ways, like not hiding from people or God in pain. Learning how to have grace for myself when simple tasks became painful and complicated. Learning how to rely on God in my utter weakness. It’s my priviledge to get to snuggle up to the Father when I’m struggling. He’s always Good. 🙂 

     When He said that He would give us safe passage, He meant it. We were covered by such joy, peace, and protection in completely unexpected circumstances. We made it alive, encouraged, awestruck at God’s provision. We had no loss of life or limb. I went to bed that morning feeling like I knew Him better. 

After arriving back to the US, I woke up that first morning overflowing with joy and gratitude. There have been days when I’ve felt discouraged over the snags and pains of life, but they pale in comparison to the number of days that I’ve found myself crying tears of gratitude, laughing until my face turns red, dancing around like a fool, it’s been moment after moment of being awestruck by the goodness of God. How sweet it is to fix my eyes on Him and watch everything else fade away, paleing in comparison. 

So now, I ask you that, dear reader.

How has God woven the DNA of His great story into your own life? With adventure, courage, victory, risk, love, the miraculous? 

Is there anything that you’ve counted on for safety outside of Him? Is He asking you to let go of it or move it into it’s proper place? 

What areas of your life are you facing suffering in? Are you inviting God into those deep places of your soul to comfort you? Have you been able to still worship and praise Him in the midst of difficulty? 

 Thank you for coming along that WHOLE JOURNEY with me!! I had fun sharing this story that God gave me with you!! I still laugh everytime someone asks me how I broke my butt. I love getting to follow my Maker around. He’s the King!!