my untrip

I've been sending others off on trips lately. That's hard for me. I like to go on trips and I like to go on trips where I get to serve other people. Call me a sucker, but I think they are more enjoyable than vacation.

You know what? Those trips can be dangerous for me. Not in a "the local violence in the developing world could kill you" kind of way, but more in a "substituting big trips for actual relationship with Jesus" kind of way.

My untrips over the past year include sending my husband to South Africa in March, friends to Mumbai in July, friends to New Orleans in July, friends to South Africa in November, friends to the Ukraine in November, friends to Cameroon this month, my husband to Mumbai last week.

On my untrips I learned to pray this year. I learned to pray because it was the action that I could take while my friends were off on great adventures living out their faith rescuing kids, loving orphans, changing people's lives. I was at home praying. Sometimes I was praying at 3am. All of that praying unveiled a conversation and a dimension of relationship with God that has been hiding behind all of that "good stuff" I was focused on doing.

I stayed home. I prayed as a first response instead of a last resort. I dug in and did hard personal work. I learned more about myself and got things out of the way that were inhibiting my relationship with God. I had to be faithful in new ways (ways that no one else could see -- gasp). It's been a great year.

To make it even sweeter, God is into answering my prayers these days. Big giant things that I've been praying for years for are happening now. This is a faith adventure of a different kind. I'm thankful for what I learned on all of those untrips.