Throwing up the 4's

4 days. I am praying for patience and also that the next few days would go very quickly. I feel completely restless as I anticipate my drive home and the friends and family I will see THIS WEEK!

As I look back on the last 5 months, I see a span of time that has seemed to last forever. I have enjoyed time immensely with my aunt and uncle and have found a couple of dear friends, but find that I have not fallen in love with any part of this city. I have, however, fallen more in love with Lincoln and the idea of investing in the community there. The last couple of weeks have provided growth in my heart and a longing for deeper connections with loved ones there. The Lord has been working in my heart and I feel more prepared now to invest in and serve as an encourager and source of constancy in the lives of my friends and family. There's been a lot of growth in my season of loneliness here. I have learned what it looks like to turn to the true source of happiness and comfort and have a great peace about moving forward.

I was inspired Thursday night by an inner city Christmas concert that I attended with my aunt and uncle. These high school children from very difficult lives sang to the Lord with more gusto and charisma than I have seen in a long time. The words that sprang from their young lips awakened something in my heart that has sat colorless for quite some time. I listened to one teacher speak of how he watches the students "Throw their 4's in the hallway"- meaning that, as they pass between classes, often students raise both hands showing 4 fingers on each, reminding each other of Philippians 4:4,

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It's easy to forget. It's easy to get so caught up in our seasons of business, difficulty, anger, excitement, whatever....it's easy to loose sight of how close the Lord really is. In everything, rejoice. In loneliness, in anger, in disappointment, in preparation, in anticipation, in despair, in those times when you don't have an extra minute during the day to stop and catch your breath.... whatever we do, we are rejoicing and being gentle.

Starting today, I will try to remember to "throw up my 4's".