We’re still on the road. We’re in the middle of nowhere right now, a little over halfway from Tucson to San Diego. Outside each window the views are the same in each direction. Miles of desert, sand, rocks, cactus and small brush, with mountains in the distance and barbed wire fences up close.
We’re sitting here in our own self-contained, safe environment on wheels. We have leather seats, sunglasses, snacks, drinks, air conditioning, music, entertainment, blankets, pillows, and who knows what else. We’re in a bubble of safety in the middle of a vast, harsh desert. We’re confined to around 50 square feet, but as I look around on this mostly clear day, I can probably see more than 50 billion square feet from my spot in the passenger seat.
Every January, some people think of a word that they believe will define their upcoming year. Maybe they come up with it on their own, maybe as a family, as a church, or as a business. Or maybe they hear the word directly from God in prayer. I can’t say that I’ve ever heard a word for the year from God before.
Until now.
This is my year of “excitement”. I am seeking out excitement in the things around me, but I am also anticipating that excitement will find me in new, unexpected ways. But excitement isn’t going to find me if I stay in my safe bubble surrounded by a billion times more desolation.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
The new thing, the miracle, the refreshing river, the new paths, the excitement—those aren’t happening in the 50 square feet where I currently am. They’re happening in the 50 billion square feet where I’m not. In that scripture, God asks, “Do you see it?” Unless I am in that desert wilderness, it is not even possible to see the new thing. The new thing isn’t happening where I am now.
In order to have a year of excitement, I need to put myself into places that are uncomfortable, that are new, that are desolate and that might be scary. To fully experience the excitement God has for me, I have to be brave enough to leave safety and go where He is calling me.
This post is part of the Januwordy 2020 challenge. Today’s prompt is “brave”.