carry us over

I was hiking on Jenny Lake on our vacation in the Grand Tetons this past summer. I wished it could have lasted for 2 weeks instead of a morning as it was all so beautiful around the lake. My family and I took a pretty well worn trail alongside the lake and past numerous people as we hiked. There was even a moose close to the path just eating away! It was beautiful looking out at the mountains initially, but as we hiked closer the peaks were all but hidden and we became swallowed up in the dense trees. At times we'd see hills, but the closeness of the mountains kept us from seeing their fullness. We hiked for two and a half miles and passed over a swollen river bursting with ice water from the snow above us. I loved the whole experience. Unfortunately my wife twisted her ankle and was in a lot of pain, so instead of walking back-which I had really wanted to do- we took a boat that carried us all over Jenny Lake back to our starting point. It ended up saving Angela a lot of pain.
Sometimes in life we're taken out of the "perfect situation", the dream job, the dream house, the educational track that should have led to a great future. Were "sidelined" as they say in sports and have to sit on the bench for a time. This can be a short time or a very long time depending on your perspective. It can be hard because you can feel unimportant and insignificant. You can feel lonely and wonder if your adventure is over and all you can do now is look back. I've struggled with that the last 5 years. Not always vocally but more in my head and struggling to look forward and envision with God what's next. But one thing I have done this past year is trade in my leather briefcase for a backpack. You see I began realizing that my Father had something yet to teach me and using the backpack was a reminder to me that I'm not done learning yet.
I was reading the story of Moses the other day and meditating on his situation. For 40 years he was raised up in the seat of luxury and power. But then one day it all ended. Moses saw injustice done against one of his own people. So he responded in anger to stamp out the injustice with his own injustice. Suddenly everything was taken away. All his privilege was gone and he found himself in the desert herding sheep. He was raised in a culture that despised shepherds and now he was one himself! What do you think Moses felt for the next 40 years in the desert? Probably like a nobody. He probably reminisced about those glory days back in Egypt. But God wasn't finished with Moses. He's not finished with us either. Perhaps he has us in a place where we can learn. Where we can listen. Where we can join in the work he's prepared beforehand for us to do. But we need to trust him. We need to realize that when he's taken us out for a time he does it out of a heart that loves. He wants us during these times to grab hold, climb into the boat and allow him to carry us over to where we need to be. Maybe it is something insignificant. But who are we to judge those things anyway? Instead we need to just rest in his grip. Let him carry you for a season. He's weaving something that someday we'll get to see.