Metal Birds

I took a wee trip down under to celebrate a long 3yr degree that took about 6 months longer than expected. But finally that square piece of hat swag found it's way onto my head with a great black gown to match.

Being away from home means altered routines, subtle & not so subtle adjustments to an environment different from your own. It also means going without particular time slots that you've spent months crafting to suit your own needs and enviornment. Put simply, it's a time out of your comfort zone. Saying goodbye to that well indented body cave you've created on your couch or bed and saying hello to a barely touched or marked one. What happens when we encounter the unfamiliar? Do we maintain habits distinct to our usual environments? Or do our actions and thoughts become dictated by new surroundings. In Romans it teaches us not to be conformed to this world. There is always a good and a bad aspect to adaptation. This trip reminded me how important is to never let your environment, no matter how much it may change to dictate who you are in Christ. I found myself in situations where my usual practices needed to be deterred for the sake of adaptation. That is fine. Just never allow yourself to lose the heart of God in processes of change, small or big.

On the plane over, I sat there spiritually unmoved and unusually oblivious to how far I had come to be able to sit in this very seat. A momentary dry state perhaps. The only way to find water is to step out and FIND IT. So, I fumbled through my bag for writing material. Pen, yes. Paper, no. Napkin, YES. I know alot of people will agree with me when I say that, sometimes you just need to write things down to make more sense of them. So I penned a short poem that kept this trip in perspective for me.

"your grace is sufficient for me

it will carry me across the seas

into a land I once labored

it will grant me glory

under bright lights and tearful eyes.

It will strengthen bonds

and remind me of a love I cannot hide.

It will provide.

It will not cease.

I am grace-full."