ann kiemel

finding a new destination is, for me,
like walking through a South American
jungle. almost impossible. guaranteed
to get lost at least four times. calling out to people
at gas stations and biking down the sidewalk
or doing construction on the road. each one
tells me a different way. they all seem credible,
and i am always turning around to go the
opposite direction.

last night, i was determined, at 11 p.m., to
find the hospital where my friend's mother
was rushed into surgery. downtown stockton.
a very rough area. i drove right past the exit,
and through the next town before i realized i
had gotten lost. it made my bones ache.

following Jesus can often be like this. we set
out with such momentum. determined to let God
take over and teach us how to fly. we so want to
be perfect for Him, and really, everyone. but somehow,
we hear music and a band or the crush of rivers and
water-falls, and we lose our focus. our stability. our
peace.

i hate getting lost, don't you?
it is so hard to get back on track
to hear the oceans. . .

and feel the wind;
to laugh with a child, and speak about
love, God's love, to those who pass our way.

the comfort is that we are all broken.
we all need grace. we all have cracks and bruises.
and we forget to sing the songs and hear the laughter
and watch the sun glistening in tall trees and the wide sky.
but i'm not going to quit when i'm lost. and run away
when life gets hard. huh-uh. and you won't either
because we are God's army and victory is seeded in
the marrow of our bones and the blood-flow to the heart.

"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be
His God and he will be my son...(daughter)." rev. 21:7