Lucas turned 1 this past Sunday. July 3rd. Although, up till a couple months ago, I was telling everyone his birthday was July 4th. Apparently I was off by a day. I get Lucas and America mixed up I guess. Oh well.
We spent all last week back in Florida visiting friends, and it definitely doesn’t seem like a year since I left my job to move North. And as I was driving the family back to Viriginia on Saturday, I was thinking of all the things that have happened in the past year and it was fairly staggering. In just a three week span in July of 2010, we had a new baby, sold our house in Florida, bought a townhome in Virginia, said goodbye to friends and coworkers, moved, and started a new job. Toby started a new grade at a new school. I completed my first and second marathons and signed up for a third this October. We’ve had to make new friends. Join new small groups. I became a 10th grade small group leader for one school year and got to give one talk to high schoolers. I’ve joined a creative arts team that can go toe to toe with any around. I made a good friend only to have to say goodbye as he and his family moved to Oregon. I lost an aunt to cancer. Our neighborhood had a break in and shooting. I paid off my car and avoided the temptation to trade it in and get a new one. I used power tools without losing any fingers.
All in all, it’s been a busy year. Full of ups and downs. And I’ll be honest. Today’s a downer. A day where I wonder if I made the right decision. Should I have uprooted my family from Florida? Was the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? Last week in Florida, reuniting with my running partner for a few steamy morning runs was amazing. Having coffee with my missionary friend from China was refreshing. Spending time the family that hosted us was one of the highlights of our trip. Seeing Toby hugging his best friend and jumping up and down was magical. Did I make a mistake?
As I got to talk with all these people and share our stories from the year, despite the struggles we’ve faced, especially with Toby meeting and making new friends at a new school, I think it was obvious to both sides, that God led us here. Our time in Florida was crucial to my development, both as a designer, and as a follower of Christ. As a runner. As a husband. As a father. As a storyteller. An introvert. An injured spirit. Those 4 years in Jacksonville forced me to face each and every one of those aspects of my life. And I left more whole and more restored than I’ve ever felt. God had me in Florida for a reason. And God has led me to Virginia for a reason. And just like I found out in Florida, it’s probably going to be more than just as a designer.
Last month, a ton of people got baptized here at Fairfax Community Church. Most of them, I had never seen before in my life. But one of them, 8 year old Cassie Grace, was someone that I knew. She’s the daughter of friends that we used to know when we were in Virginia way back when. They hadn’t been going to church lately and when we moved up here we threw out a blanket invite to them to join us some weekend. Not only did they join us, they never left after that. And less than a year later, their daughter professed her faith in Christ and was baptized.
Did we do that? Heavens no. But we can already see ways that God has been at work in our lives. How the decisions we make have ripple effects all around us. I’ve joined a running group and I’ve already worked through that awkward question and answer session once they found out I work for a church. One of the guys has asked me to join him on Mondays for speedwork and I’m excited to see what that might mean as we sweat and talk and get to know each other. Little ripples. And at the same time, if you read my last blog about the anonymous call that brought up my past, you’ll know that those ripples have effects too. Ripples that have already changed my landscape here.
No matter where you find yourself, God has you there for a reason. You are making ripples even if you can’t see them. On days like today, I have to write these things down to remind myself. I had tweeted that I was having a really hard day and within minutes my phone blew up with texts from people expressing love. A Facebook message from a designer letting me know they had prayed for me. A tweet from a coworker with this verse: “Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Wow. The ripples aren’t just going out from me. They are coming in towards me as well. And that, in a nutshell, has been my year.
