The Pendulum

We look back over the last 6 months and there just may not be enough words to describe all that we went through. How we were challenged, changed, encouraged, and blessed! I keep saying this week that I know my tolerance level has increased. From the immense amount of stress of having our team car stolen and burned, to Jay being in an ER in Greece, to facing language challenges that take you from highs to lows. From feeling totally normal in my new country, to feeling totally foreign at times. From thinking I have things figured out, to realizing I know nothing. From thinking there just may be some consistency, to realizing it's all about to change again! So goes the pendulum of life on the field. I wonder if the full swing will ease a bit, and maybe we'll just slowly rock and sway.

With all this grinding of our lives, I know the Lord is refining us. I also know that through it all there are treasures that Poland has taught me. I have learned to enjoy each new day and the beauty that it brings. Whether it's Cherry blossoms, or lilacs, or new flowers in bloom. Whether it's snow falling, or old men meticulously digging their gardens, or young men walking with friends licking ice cream cones. There is a simplicity here, that has been lost or that I never experienced in the States. Time is taken to sit outside and have tea, relationships are deep and non superficial. That the hearts of man can communicate to each other, although the language is not understood, is evidence of how powerful love is. I know that through it all, if I were not here I would miss it terribly. So whether the pendulum swings and my emotions go for another ride, or it keeps time setting the pace of our lives, I praise God for the trials, the laughter, the fears, hopes, joys, and tears because I see Him through it all. And to know Him more, to share Him more, and to honor Him more, is all the more reason to endure the swing of the pendulum.

DS