Back to the picture. Here it is:
One year ago, this is what I looked like. I know what you're thinking, "What a fashionista!" Okay, let's be honest... I threw fashion and that girlish desire to look cute to the wind! I was in Jerusalem and I was FREEZING! I had been there maybe a week by this time. When I saw this picture my mind was flooded with memories and thoughts I was having during this time. Although this was my 4th trip to Israel I had never been in the winter. After a trip out in the city on a previous cold and rainy day, I had returned with socks that were soaking wet from boots that were not waterproof, frozen fingers, frozen face and well, frozen everything! I was not prepared for the weather like I had thought! My gloves weren't thick enough, my winter hat wasn't thick enough, my boots were no match against the rushing streams of Jerusalem sidewalks and I was not layering enough! I was not used to having to walk outside so much in the elements. In America I walked from the door to a car and then from the car to a door. A parking lot was the most I had to be out in the weather. In Jerusalem, sans the convenience of a car, I was walking MUCH more. Even taking buses still meant walks to bus stops and those weren't across the road from the apartment. They were blocks away. So in this picture I have on newly purchased rain boots, thicker gloves, a lumberjack fur lined hat, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, at least two shirts, a coat and a scarf. I was still cold...
This picture brought back a flood of memories of all the inconveniences I experienced. No central heating or air. Space heaters in very large rooms with walls containing no insulation make it challenging to get warm. Taking a shower felt like a race against frostbite! Hanging your clothes to dry meant having to plan days in advance because it took DAYS for your clothes to dry in the damp coldness of the apartment. Dryers are expensive to run so we only used it for towels and sheets. My face was cold for at least a month! In the midst of trying to adjust to a new normal in a foreign country I remember clearly thinking how I was grateful to finally be where I knew I belonged. My thankfulness to be walking in the place of my destiny outweighed the wet clothes, cold bones, and cold everything. God lit a fire in my heart and it was burning! And that was enough to keep me warm on the inside.
Don't get me wrong. I had days where the smallest thing would cause a meltdown. I had days where I didn't want to hear Hebrew or someone barking at me in Hebrew. I had days where I was sick of walking up and down hills. But God is faithful to remind us of His bigger picture. This year, as I sit in the comfort of a coffee shop and it's almost 70 degrees in January outside and my vehicle is parked 30 feet from the coffee shop door, I find myself longing for those cold stone streets. That picture reminds me of His faithfulness. It reminds me of His dream for my life. It reminds me that my heart for Israel is HIS heart for Israel and He WILL bring me back to the Land I love. That picture reminds me that destiny often means change and being in situations that are uncomfortable but it is ALWAYS worth it. What is God reminding you of today? As you remember different times in your life, what was God doing and saying? What is He saying in the midst of an uncomfortable season? Remember what He has done and what He has brought you through because it serves as a reminder that He will do it again!
