This is the saying of my kids and husband: “ever since Israel”. They are referring to the fact that things have not been the same for me since my return home. I’m not quite as uptight as I used to be. Things I once thought so important are not nearly as important. Things I took lightly now have a greater purpose and meaning. Life has stood still for me in some ways even though I continue to do what I’ve done before. It is more simple for me.  Here was my life before:

• Schedules
• Meal Plans
• Lists for today and the rest of the year
• Hurried
• Stressed
• About me

Life before Israel was life just like most others. You had a schedule of places to be and things to do. Time was of the essence and not to be wasted. Meals plans were a must for a busy schedule. This allowed for one trip to the store each week and if someone forgot to tell me something else they needed, they just had to wait until the next week. I had other things to do; namely, my lists.

Trying to complete goals led me to feel hurried and stressed in my life. It was about finishing one thing in order to get it checked off my list. This trend brought me to live my life as though life was still somehow all about me. I never intentionally did it this way, but that’s how it happened. This was my life before Israel.

Three to six months before we left, I began praying that God would prepare me for what He desired to show me. The only feeling I continued to have was that I was never going to be the same. I knew I would come back changed; I just didn’t know how.

Then, I left the country, and said good-bye to the only Susan I had ever known. I prayed over and over that God would speak to me. Somehow, I just knew it was going to drastically change my life.

When we arrived to Israel, we flew into Tel Aviv and traveled up into the Galilee region. I thought it was surreal that we were halfway around the world, but nothing really hit me that day. The cave of Elijah, where he taught Elisha, was interesting, but it still didn’t hit me. I still felt a bit like a tourist and wondering how this trip would affect me.

You see, during the whole trip, nothing dramatic happened really. God was just ever-present. He was in the ruins of the old cities. He was around us as we walked the old streets. He had been there; I was walking where Jesus walked. Parts of the mountains reminded me of the Rockies, parts of the desert reminded me of the Grand Canyon, and other green parts reminded me of Gatlinburg and South Carolina. There’s a little part of Israel all around us, I realized one night.

Then, like an overwhelming emotion, as I was re-baptized in the Jordan River, and I just cried. God had always been there for me, it was just easier to understand in Israel because I was walking in actual towns He walked. Jesus truly loved me and He died for me. I was suddenly overcome with complete love; utter love!

So, here is my life now:

• Schedules
• Couple of meals planned at a time
• What needs to be done today
• Relaxed
• Low-Keyed
• About others, genuinely.

I understand life has to go on and I still have to keep schedules and goals, but I realize I must make room for God to move in my life. I can’t have it so jam-packed that I get frustrated when He brings someone my way that needs me in that moment. Since our trip, there have been many conversations I’ve truly enjoyed with those waiting on me at stores, with my kids when they get off the bus, and with my husband as he finishes work. I love these people in my life, even those I pass on the sidewalk, because my God made them. I am no better than they are. We all live in a hurting world where God never intended for us to live. He fully desires for us to be in a perfect world with Him. It’s my prayer that I can make this world as perfect as I can while He grants me time here.

My God is all around me. He can be your God, too. Will you allow Him to be Lord of all in your life? If you’ve not already dedicated your life to God, I pray you would do so at this time. Allow me to pray with you.

Dear God, I truly desire you to be in my life and over my life. I’m sorry for the times I’ve tried to play god in my life. Please forgive me of my sins against you…for worshiping myself or others and not You. Give me the strength to live in Your peace and guide me in Your wisdom. Draw me to a church body that will welcome me and help me along my journey. You made us for relationships and I pray You will nudge me in the right directions. I love You. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I would love to hear about your journeys and where God is taking you. May God bless you this week.

Oh, and don’t forget, pay His love forward to someone around you!

Susan

© 2015 Susan M. Sims

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