There and Back…Part 3

Ah, so we finally get to the spiritual aspect of the trip. Surprisingly, this one is actually much easier for me to put into words than the previous part, mainly because it has been the focus throughout this entire process.

For me, the trip and the time leading up to it were all done as steps of faith. Please don’t take that as some sort of uber-spiritual statement–that’s not the way I am, nor is it what I aim to be. But in our lives where there are very distinct, very real times of being compelled or led by God to do or say things that we don’t fully understand at the time, or understand their significance. And each step has some risk associated with it. In my case, some of the times:

• when I contacted my long-lost sister: I didn’t know if she’d even remember me, much less want any sort of contact
• when I found out about my dad’s health: I could have simply glossed it over, since I never really knew him
• when I sent those words for her to pass to him: I had no idea how they would be received
• when I put the word out about the financial need: I didn’t know if people would respond, or if enough would come in before I needed to make the call
• when I left: I hadn’t yet made arrangements for where I would be staying
• when I decided to accept the offer to stay at my dad’s house with his wife: I didn’t know how that would go at all

But as each decision point was reached, I knew God was leading, making each step was easier. That’s how faith works. Because I listened, and because I acted on it, there’s no part of it I regret, and much peace where there hadn’t been before. I would not be able to say that if I hadn’t done what I did…and not only that, but now have family members in my life that were not there before this.

Ah, so we finally get to the spiritual aspect of the trip. Surprisingly, this one is actually much easier for me to put into words than the previous part, mainly because it has been the focus throughout this entire process. For me, the trip and the time leading up to it were all done as…