A Beautiful Place

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Back in the early 90's, Christian singer/songwriter Wayne Watson recorded a song entitled, "A Beautiful Place." It was a song about how the difficult times and painful circumstances in our lives can lead us to, well, beautiful places.  One of my favorite parts of the song was the short bridge...

And the unspoiled beauty of the wisdom of God lies in the wilderness

Up there beyond the easy reach

Where the journey takes a little more faith I guess, I guess.

And then the chorus...

Mistakes and misfortunes will come and go

But to try and to fail is no mistake

Sometimes a rough and a rocky road

Is gonna take you to a beautiful place

I was thinking about that song last night as Sue and I were enjoying the view from the deck of the house we have recently moved into.  We were amazed at how we ended up in such a beautiful place.  For the almost 27 years that we have been married, and all the places we have been, all Sue has ever wanted was a house with a wrap around porch.  All I have wanted was a quiet cabin in the pines near the mountains. And, here we sit with all of that and so much more.  This house (a blessing that was made available to us by the people who built it but cannot live in it right now) is so amazing that we often feel a pang of guilt that we get to enjoy it!  Beside all the beauty and top of the line features inside, it sits nestled in the trees, on the backside of a hill with a view facing the mountains and very little noise except the birds and squirrels, and the wind as it moves through the pines.  We wake up to deer outside our windows and see wild turkeys and lots of horses on the road down to the valley below.  The air is always clean and fresh and cool, with the hint of smoke from our wood stove.  I'm pretty "okay" with the situation. Can you tell?

The road to this beautiful place has been long, and at times painful.  There were moments when I wondered if we had made a wrong turn.  But, we kept going, trusting that the Hand that leads us is faithful to every promise made.  While bouncing along the road, we have learned so much about God, and ministry, and faith, and we have been so blessed by the people we have been privileged to know and serve and share life with.  I can honestly say that I value this place (and the church I currently pastor) so much more now than I ever would have before.  Sometimes it takes miles and miles of difficult travel, with bumps and ruts and dust, to help you appreciate what you can so easily take for granted before that ride.  A rough and rocky road really can get you to someplace special.  And when you get there you realize that it is really worth it.

All glory to God,Who leads and guides us with great love and unfailing wisdom.