Armadillos & Uncertainty

No turning back, I am in Chicago.
Mom and I made it through our very long, long, drive and are happy that's over with. After making it out of Arizona, we hit up New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and finally Illinois. Real quick.

New Mexico = teepees, plateaus, route 66, meteorite site, and moccasins.
Texas = the world's largest cross, and a nap (sorry I was tired).
Oklahoma = sticky, heavy accents, dirty McDonalds filled with dead bugs, and tolls.
Missouri = weird towns like Cuba, Lebenon, and Miami (all very original), Busch Stadium, The Arch, and more tolls.
Illinois = corn, corn, soy biodiesel farms, and some more corn.

I will spare your time and just give you the highlight of the trip - armadillos! Towards the end of Texas, through Oklahoma, and a TON in Missouri, we counted 33 dead armadillos on the side of the road! All flipped over on their shells with their little feet in the air. Can you believe it? It was the weirdest thing! Apparently none of them passed onto their friends the memo that when you walk out into the road, you don't come back. Bummer for them, highlight for us.

The past few days I have been given lots of time for reading (even outloud - which mom loves) , and wanted to share something out of a book I am going through called Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. In this chapter, he is talking about uncertainty. He writes, " I know this may be a real stretch, but it is always right to do what's right, even if it turns out wrong. There are times God calls us to do the right thing, knowing that others will respond in the wrong way." What a confidence in God's character that sort of perspective has. Having a faith that doesn't depend on the outcome, but believing in God's capacity to work even through horrible results. This is a challenge for me. I know that thoughout the day I make various decisions about what to do even in the littlest situations because I know the outcome. And because what I decide ends in good, I assume what I did was good. I am realizing that when I do what is right and in line with God's will, it does not guarentee a good result. And that takes faith. Not no-risk faith, but dangerous faith. Faith like Jesus had when He decided to do what was right and be killed for it. I don't know about you, but I don't see that as a good outcome. But what I am sure of is God's character, and what He does promise. He promises that He will be there with us before, during, and after when the result isn't so easy to deal with (Joshua 1). So in that truth, I am willing to do what is right, even when it turns out wrong.


We move in on Tuesday. Just enjoying the city, the rain, and each other until then.