Restless

As I write this blog post, my mental knee is bouncing.  I'm bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, the starting gate won't open fast enough.  I glance restlessly at the referee on the side line.  When will he fire the gun?  When will they open the gate?  I'm ready to leap out onto the track.  It's time to go!  I'm ready.

But am I ready?  My family and I are due to fly out of Germany on July 29th.  We've had an amazing three and a half years here, we have been so blessed.  The time here has flown by, this chapter is coming to a close.  But it isn't yet finished, even when I get on that plane in a couple of months, this chapter will never really be finished.  The friends, the experiences, and the places I've visited will forever have an impact on me.  

So, why am I typing this out to you?  These days, I'm excited.  I'm ready for the next adventure.  I haven't been back to the United States in three and a half years, I haven't seen alot of my relatives in three and a half years.  These are some of the reasons, but then, I am just excited for the next duty station.  I'm waiting with baited breath for the next adventure the Maker has in store for us.  

As good as it is to be this excited, we need to be careful.  It would be easy to be excited for something and get distracted from the blessings right in front of you.  My dad said it well the other day, "You may not  do it intentionally, but when it comes time to starting packing up to move, you try to draw away from your friends. You don't want to have to experience the hurt that involves leaving them behind."

I don't think I've gotten to that stage, but I feel like I need to focus on the here and now.  I have friends here that are important to me, I still have finals to stress over, I have half a vacation to enjoy before actually leaving.  There is too much going on to let my focus be drawn somewhere else.  God has put me here for a reason, and I need to live the rest of this chapter out.  Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day.  

So, this is my challenge to you and to me.  Enjoy the moments you are living in.  Enjoy every frustration, every challenge, and every moment of laughter.  Run the race to the finish line.  When your feet skim the ground, and you grind for that extra gear, see Christ.  He is the perfect example.  Run to live.  Run so that when you meet your Maker, He will smile at you and say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?  So run that you may obtain it." 1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV)

Run. Every. Single. Inch.