Rocky Mountain high

We watch tv with an antenna, so our national news comes solely from social media and the internet. With Ayden being in Colorado with his dad this month I have been paying extra close attention to Colorado news. The fires in paticular. This evening watching Facebook light up and videos get posted my heart is torn seeing so much beauty being destroyed so quickly. Dawn, whom many of you helped fundraise for her adoption, is going to bed tonight confident that her parents may have lost their home. Her childhood home. A home I have been to. Where I have memories. I wonder all the time why God gave me the adventure of a life that he has given me. New people and new places on average every two to four years. It is not what I asked for. I crave consistency. I crave stability. I want to root myself deep into a community and thrive. I want to paint walls and design rooms that we live in.  But the reality is, even when we do root ourselves, there is no promise of these things... in this life. In one afternoon they can be swept away. We can rest in the promise of eternity though. We can accept that we have eternity written on our hearts and celebrate when we get glimpses. We can grow our roots and then treasure the pain when they get torn out as a sign of the promise. I think of Abraham... never seeing the promise fulfilled. Buying as fairly as he could a piece of rock, a plot of land, a forever home to bury his wife. Staking that tiny cave as his for- now taste of a forever promise. I wonder as I look around today what are my claims? Where have I left physical memories that tie me to my story. Certainly Colorado holds many. Garden of the Gods on a high school ski trip- and an unfortunate cactus that was a solemn reminder of my pride. I can feel the rocks on my hand, their red coolness inviting me to climb- to explore- to step outside of my quiet unadventurous self. Rocks that tonight are surrounded by flame. And then I think of the athletic field outside of Moby arena at CSU... preferably at night. There I first experienced Gods promting on my high school heart. Lessons he taught me at a summer camp about his plans he has for us. The same field where two years later I spent countless evenings walking after class. Falling in and out of young love. Reaching deeper into who He is-  Serving people hotdogs hoping it would spur conversations and invite them into Christian fellowship. If I close my eyes I can still feel the cool of the grass, see the bugs circling the lights, feel the shadow of the mountains, hear the whispers to my heart. Oh Colorado. You are such a PLACE for me. Such a piece of who I am. Such a reminder of His promise.  I ache for your beauty, for your people. May God comfort you with his Body. I pray the church steps up around the country to reach out to the thousands upon thousands who are affected. I pray we can take this opportunity to ever so gently remind one another that this is not our home. I pray for rain, and for the winds to be still. May you return to peace quickly, but hopefully with your stories deeper, sweeter and your hearts bent on eternity.