The Joy of the Journey

We've already discovered that this whole building process is going to be much more than just purchasing land and designing and constructing a cabin. We wonder what amazing lessons and blessings God has in store for us as we embark on this expedition. One unexpected benefit has already arisen...the joy of the journey!

For some funny reason, as I pondered this reality, I decided to look up the definition of the word journey and found that it means "a gradual passing from one state to another regarded as more advanced, e.g. from innocence to mature awareness". With regard to our "Little Chip Adventure", we want to not only make it from point A to point B or from no cabin to completed cabin, but also hope that we are always improving and growing personally. We are confident that God will allow many circumstances to challenge and stretch us. We pray we'll face those faithfully and learn to rely on and trust in Him more!  

But the great thing is, we also know that there is much more than difficulty ahead. God also loves to bless His children! We have already uncovered many hidden treasures along the way...

* The wonderful people to work with, from Carl from Edina Realty, to Jill at Integrity Title, to Ross and Jeff from Viking Bank to Grandma Patty (from Grandma Patty's Cafe in Brandon-she actually came and sat with us as we ate lunch at her place last weekend!), to Ivan the Excavator (we've already shared about him), to Rob the well digger. We haven't met one person we haven't loved!
* Little bunny who lives on the property and leaves precious tracks in the snow.
* A beautiful 30+ degree day in January so that we could begin our lumberjack duties! The trees were literally coated with frost, making it the most gorgeous Minnesota day I can every recall!

* Back to Grandma Patty's Cafe...best Reuben sandwich I've ever had! Can't wait to go back for another!
* Making memories...like the failed attempt at a drive across the ??frozen?? lake! Yikes, we thought we were gonners! Wish we had a video clip of that!
* Carhartts, mmmmm!
* Love the smell of freshly-cut wood!
* That small-town feeling!

The greatest blessing though has been, and I believe will continue to be...the journey itself. The actual trek up Hwy 94. Two and a half hours of uninterrupted time to slow down, talk or not talk, hold hands, stare out the window, drink coffee or Diet Coke, read, listen to music or silence, eat Gorp, think or pray. God has already used this time to touch a deep place in our lives through a CD from lesson 4 of the Beth Moore Bible study of the book of Esther that I'm in at church. In His perfect timing, He allowed me to miss the day we heard the CD at church, then made it available for me to check out so that we could listen together on the journey last weekend. Not coincidentally, the lesson was on fear and its relentless grip on us. Fear is a deep-seated emotion that can and has caused havoc in our lives. It has its power because of conditional faith in God; faith that He will keep the things we fear most from happening to us. So, even if our greatest fears never happen (and chances are they won't), the very threat of them can cause us to be distracted, crippled and unproductive. Fear causes us to say, "If______ happens, then ______!" (ie, I'll shrivel up, or scream or die!). But true faith will help us say, "If _____ happens, then GOD will be with me!" Maybe we've heard it a million times, but for the first time, we believed it! Just like Shrek, humans are like onions with layers! For Doug and I, the layers of old false beliefs are being exposed and peeled away.


Thank God for the journey...and for making it with us!