Sunday morning, our pastor asked us to reflect on sacrifice.  When have you experienced sacrifice in your life?  What have others sacrificed for you?  When have you sacrificed for others?

As Charlene and I approach our twentieth wedding anniversary, one thing stands out for me.  The journey.  A long winding road that has led to this moment in time.  This instance, where I am relaxing on a holiday weekend.  My trusty dog by my side, my three boys playing without a care, and my beautiful wife of twenty years (I said it again, because the passage of time in this instance is a bit hard for me to wrap my head around) is getting ready to go exercise.  Each twist and every turn in the journey brought us to this point.

Moves where we sacrificed the comforts of home in an adventure of youthful abandon.  Our move that sacrificed a life we had created from scratch for exciting changes in career.  Our sacrifice in leaving friends and comfort to be closer to family.  Finally, our sacrifice that came with a forced career change and the need to leave behind a place we loved for a future that is still unfolding before us.

Our nomadic life has been full of adventure, change, uncertainty, and discovery.  With each move and sacrifice, God’s path for us became clear.  There is a guiding hand of protection surrounding us.  An abiding love the comforts us.  A powerful presence the protects us on a journey that’s still unfolding.

Twenty years seems to dwell within a contradiction.  The time seems to have passed in an instance, while in the moment the sacrifices seem so great.  So painful.  So overwhelming.

There’s something about time that smooths the rough edges.  Softens the sting of the moment.  Although I am graying and feel at times so tired, the fear of each sacrifice, the fear of each transition become smaller.  Each twist, each turn has resulted in this beautiful moment.  This moment twenty years in the making.

The Lord has kept me close.  God has eased the pain of my mistakes.  Guided me along many unexpected paths.  Created a wondrous life out of the tapestry of chaos that we daily navigate.  Each sacrifice, each hesitant step into the future, has been guided and perfected along the way.  I take comfort in what lies ahead, because I know God is with us.  Next steps await.  Life continues to unfold and I step forward with the reaffirming strength of a family that loves me, a slumbering dog by my side, and the Almighty’s gentle guidance.  Twenty years of nomadic sacrifice and days that lie ahead, all perfected in God’s loving hands.