Love your Story

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.

Psalm 107:2

I blinked back tears as I checked my bags at the counter.  Turning away with a sigh, I was unprepared for the huge sob that suddenly came from deep within me.  Two employees asked if I was alright.  "I have to leave my family," was the response.  One woman smiled warmly and whispered, "It's going to be OK." 

I sat down to wait for our flight and did what I always do.  Watching the people pass by, I made up a wide variety of stories about the lives they were leading.  Some were CIA agents, others circus performers or fugitives.  Their sagas kept me entertained until it was time to board the plane.

Three flights and more than 26 hours later, we arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.  After the customs agent searched our luggage, Ken negotiated with a taxi driver to take us to our hotel for a few hours of rest before we continued our journey home.  As usual, the taxi was searched before we entered the hotel compound, and our luggage had to be inspected once again by the hotel security officer before we were allowed into the lobby.

It was just after midnight when we finally stepped up to the front desk, where we learned that our "reserved" room wasn't ready yet.  And the internet was down. Welcome back!

This Starbucks only serves instant coffee!

When we arrived in Kisumu the following day, our driver greeted us warmly and loaded our luggage into the back of the vehicle.  As we began the two-hour drive to Kakamega, he updated us on all the latest news, including the long rains that now threaten to destroy the maize crops of our people, and the rioting sparked by a recent episode of child ritual killings.  Fortunately, though, our THQ family is happy and healthy, and there is continued progress on a number of fronts.

As he chatted with my husband, I thought about the vast differences between my life in Kenya and the one which I had just left.  Then the Lord reminded me of the words penned by Franny Crosby:

This is my story, this is my song. 

Praising my Saviour, all the day long.

Home League Singers

Yes, I thought, this transition from one world to another is MY story, an exciting tale that the Lord is writing one chapter at a time.  It would make no sense for me to focus on chapters that have already been written.  Instead I must give myself without reservation to the one I'm living today, with all it's drama, laughter, tears, challenges, and victories.

Thank you, Lord, for being the author of my life.  You're a much better writer than I am, and you've made my life a real page turner.