Live in the now.

In exactly one week from today: 

I will be flying over the vast ocean for eighteen hours.  

I will walk on a land that is unfamiliar and far away from anything that is. 

I will meet new people in hopes that they will become my refuge, my friends & my family.

I will learn many cultural differences and try not to offend anyone by my American ways. 

& in two words I can describe my attitude towards all of this...

at peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

That is so good I would encourage you to read it again. Go ahead, I'll wait. ;)
The Creator of all nations reminds us not be anxious about anything. Regardless of what pressing issue(s) may be on our minds and/or the long journey that may lie ahead. He encourages us to pray with thanksgiving and present our requests to Him---and in return for taking time to be in His Presence which ultimately blesses us, He will guard our hearts and minds with peace! Sounds to good to be true, and yet we pass up that opportunity daily. We are called to have a thankful heart, one that praises Him and practices saying, "Thank you, Lord" throughout the day.  As we do this our hearts become filled with the Holy Spirit and we become content.  Being content and spending time with God, allows us to live in the present.  Why do we allow ourselves to get caught up in the future when we aren't promised tomorrow?  Nobody knows when their last day on earth is, so why do we go around anxious for a week or a month or a year from now?  I'm not saying not to plan or have an agenda, but we need to write those in pencil & be open to the idea that the Lord might erase it and write something even better.  

Why am I saying all this and what does this have to do with my trip?  It's simple really. I want to share with you right now and through this journey how the Lord is shaping my heart to be a woman of God, more importantly a woman thirsting for God.  It is more important to me that I stay focused on knowing God more...rather than trying to exemplify who I am, because I am nothing without Him.  I can't even muster up enough power to keep my heart beating if I tried alone.  As I am reminded to live in the present, I am not worried about the future or what could go wrong during this trip. I take pride in the fact that my God is bigger than any government, bigger than any headaches I may experience, and especially bigger than any money issues I might have.  In fact, not only am I aware that God has it under control, He is going to go above and beyond! :) God is going to do mighty things and I want to live in the now so I don't miss them.  

I was able to fully appreciate spending time at the river with my family this past week because I wasn't focused on leaving for this trip. I enjoyed the sun, laughter, and even the arguments because it meant I had a family to do those things with.  When Saturday night rolls around and I am making my way through LAX terminals, it is then that I will be excited because it is then I will be living for that moment. 

Enjoy right now because God is just as amazing now as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow.