Leaving

I just started reading, Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. Actually, I've only read the introduction so far. And I'malready challenged. I don't have a clue what a painted desert is, but Donald Miller talks a lot about leaving. Woof. I'm still struggling with that word. Leave. It seems so final. Foul even. I associate it with leaving something behind.

Just by reading the first 5 pages, my definition of leave has already been challenged. It's starting to shape into something that scares me, but in a good way. I have a lot to say about leaving and changing. Donald Miller's words have stirred up a lot and are forcing me to take a second look at how I have approached change (seems to be all God wants to teach me as of late). But I am not ready to write about that yet.

So instead, I'm going to talk about a change I am excited for. A kind of leaving that while hard, makes my heart happy. One of my best friends, Sacha, is getting married this weekend. And as our weekend of celebration is about to begin, I can't help but think about how things will change. I have been her roommate for the past three years. And after Saturday, she'll have Todd for a roommate. She'll haveto adjust from having a roommate she can borrow clothes from (daily) to a roommate she'll have to...clean clothes for. Or something. I don't really know because I've never been married. But life will change. She'll have to adjust to NJ driving. May God be with her. She'll have to join a new church, new bible study, and make new friends (but keep the old ones!!). She'll leave. She'll change. BUT IT'S GOOD! Because God designed us to change! So while a part of me will miss the roommate that seems to know me better thanI know myself, a bigger part of me is so happy for the change she is about to embrace. For the story she is about to continue, with Todd as her husband! Woohoo!

So Sacha, in the words of Donald Miller, "And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a man or a woman, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God."

My prayer is that you'll embrace this new chapter. That you will see the changes you are about to experience as a way to live the life God has for you. And when you are able to do that, teach me how. I love you and am so excited for this weekend:)