Without God, and faith, the landscape around you can sometimes look like this… bleak and empty…
But then once your eyes are opened to at least the possibility of something more going on than just our planet spinning around like a stone in the solar system; magical and exciting phenomenon’s start to happen…
Interesting people, and purposes start showing up…
And if they’re real people that you see – souls you were destined to meet – that God sent to impact your life in some way – then the more interesting they become the closer they get to you.
No longer do people look like bodies wandering everywhere around you in a never-ending routine; but instead people begin to resemble rays of color, energy, hope, bravery, and talent. Suddenly you feel inspired by the people you’re around, and you become aware that there is more to life than just soil, and water, and sky. Life is going on NOW!
A revelation like this happened to me this past weekend. Out of the blue, I was invited to go ice fishing up north with some interesting people I recently met. I didn’t know them well, but I felt God told me to go – It was where I was supposed to go. If you ever feel this way – Go.
So I jumped in a car and we drove along a Minnesota highway straight north toward the Canadian border. When our paved road ended, and a huge expanse of frozen lake began, we met our second group of friends who were waiting for us.
They had energy, and excitement, and were genuinely happy to see us. We exited our car and climbed into a Cadillac Escalade with a snow-plow on the front and purple flames painted down its sides. Like I said, if you’re following God, he doesn’t just give you people. He gives you interesting people.
I grabbed my leather choppers to keep warm, but I was told, no, this isn’t freeze-yourself-to-death type of ice fishing. Ok, I thought, not knowing what to expect. We drove to a 24 foot long fish-house with couches, electricity, and bathroom. Holes were already drilled into the floor, and we dropped our lines into the frozen lake hoping that we’d hook something down below.
While waiting for a strike, I thought about what was going on while I watched my minnow thirty feet below wiggle my line on the surface. I glanced at the people I was with, and thought about what their spirits must be doing inside their bodies as they walked around on earth. The more I looked at them, the more I felt I could understand them.
I couldn’t see what their spirits looked like…
…But I could feel their history.
…And their dreams.
…And their failures and successes.
… I saw glimpses into their life stories that brought them to this point in their lives sitting in a fish house with me.
…In them, I could see reflections of me, and in those moments I saw mirages of my own purpose, and what God was telling me to do with the people I’m around in the future.
Suddenly a line would take off, and someone would pull a fish up. We’d celebrate the moment; but these small moments of victory weren’t why I felt like I’ve come to earth for. As the old saying goes, “It’s not about the destination (the fish); but it’s all about the journey and the stories (the people) you find along your way.”
At the end of the weekend, we got out of the Escalade with Flames and drove off the frozen lake until maybe sometime next year. As we drove south, and the roads became better plowed the closer we got to the city, I felt old thoughts and routines trying to crawl back inside my skin.
I fought back against it. I wanted to remember this weekend. I wanted to be changed by it. I didn’t want to forget the experiences God showed me. I always want to experience a new me moving forward toward my purpose, so I know that I have traveled and lived.
Anyone else with me and ready for something better?
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