In the Fullness of Time

In the Fullness of Time

It happens in just a mere moment of time. The transition between the past and the present. In the exchange between the inhalation and the exhalation the breath of familiarity awakens in me and I am flooded with the realization of where I am. The air is full and moist and intermingled with the familiar faint scent of sweet smoke from the nearby sugarcane fields.  I am in the South Pacific once again.

I am amazed at how quickly this happens each and every time I return.  We have always arrived early in the morning and as I step outside I know what will await me. The sun will be  rising and a faint breeze will be blowing through the palm trees. It is in this confluence of my senses that I realize that this place is embedded into the very fabric of my being. I may see other sunrises, inhale the scent of burning sugarcane again, or watch a palm tree sway in a soft breeze but none will awaken the parts of my heart as this exact moment does. 

Travel always evokes contemplation within me. We have had the opportunity to travel many places this year and have been able to capture the beauty of places like the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion, and Yosemite National Parks. Their beauty has reawakened my soul and reminded me of the ever forward movement of life. As I stood in awe of those places I realized I was the recipient of the beauty of change that occurs within the fullness of time. If these sights had not been breathed over by  the power of the wind, shaken by internal tremors, or washed away and then rearranged by periodic floods they would not be the places that they are now. In contemplative moments I realize that my life is really no different.  I find myself  looking back at the places my journey has taken me and recall, with just the slightest provocation, the breadth and beauty of it all.  Not all the places have been easy or without pain but ultimately formative of who I am now. I continue to be a piece of work always in need of being molded by my Creator into hopefully, something beyond myself as I  am in this mere moment. I also realize that He has a perfect time and season for all things and His ways and timing are perfect. For that I am thankful.

We are heading off into the remote villages of Fiji and the Solomon Islands where we will be medically serving  a seemingly forgotten group of people. Parts of this work will be difficult but my heart is open for all that is to be. I know I will once again be the recipient of far more than I could ever give.

For those of you who read this you are the resting place of my heart. As always, I carry you with me. My heart next to yours...