Sitting on my bed, listening to "Be Thou my Vision" by Jars of Clay, trying to process this past semester...only to realize that I can't even fully process it all.
What I learned: God's Word is living and active, Christianity is about real people and real places- at real times in history!, there is so much going on in the world beyond my bubble existence, when you have the common bond of Christ, you can work through any personality difference, I don't need to flaunt my personality- there is a time and place for everything, there are a lot of things I want to grow in before I get married, working hard is better than just getting results, Judaism is not what I thought it was, I need to keep learning about other religions and keep reading my Bible so that I can share the Gospel more effectively, "it comes and it goes, where it's headed no one
knows"...etc.
"Israel is a testing ground." -Bill Schlegel.
So much learning. So many experiences. I came home a different person. I feel culture shocked in my own country.
It was easy to see my increasing love for the Lord and growth in Israel, but now that I am back...the real test begins. It is easier to be "on fire" for the Lord when you are visiting biblical sites each day and constantly reminded of spiritual warfare (walking by the Dome of the Rock or seeing men crouched on mats reciting their daily prayers)...but I have returned back to the normal and the mundane. Where I am deciding where to live next semester and what jobs to apply for.
I have returned back to my comfort zone...where it is easy to "let my hair down" and get sloppy. To not be as purposeful with my walk with the Lord.
It's here that the real test begins.
"We make time for what we truly value. We build habits and routines around the things that really matter to us. This is an important principle to understand as we seek to build our lives around the gospel. Do you want a cross centered life? A cross centered life is made up of cross centered days." -C.J. Mahaney
I am encouraged by what Stephanie Schlegel shared with us. Seeing sites is a great experience and all, but it's God's Word that is authoritative. My walk with the Lord is not based upon seeing sites. It's based upon applying His truths, contained in Scripture.
So while Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Azekah and Soccoh and Nazareth and Galilee are thousands of miles away...God's Word is right within arm's reach. And it is knowing His Word that is the key to being on fire for Him.
"Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." -Isaiah 26:8
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