Life Experiences.

I've always known that everything happens for a reason even when it doesn't immediately make sense, but that's sometimes easier to say than to believe.  That's why I love it when all the pieces finally come together and you start rolling the tape in your mind of one instance after another all connecting into this one moment that is sitting right in front of you.  It's not always something hugely monumental...tonight, for example, it was just a simple conversation.

Tonight a group of 20 or so people got together to celebrate a friend's birthday.  One thing I dislike about birthdays as you get older is that you really don't know what to do with them.  I mean, on one hand, having a pinata and scavenger hunt still sounds like fun, but sending out invitations for your own birthday party always seems a little weird to me.  On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of being the center of attention (definitely goes in my top 10 list of "uncomfortable"), so I like that the older you get, the more simplified birthdays become - just filling a room or dinner table full of the people that matter to you, and enjoying rich, sweet fellowship.  Because, let's be honest, in the end most people just want to know, at least once a year, that they are loved, valued and special.  You don't need a pinata to express that.

Anyhow...back to the party. It was a great night. Crowded room full of mostly friends and a few new acquaintances.  You go from one funny conversation to another deeply spiritual one and right back into "so what have you been up to lately?" with someone else.  My pastor talked recently of how he has begun to see prayer in a new light - not the same box that it's always been in where it starts with "Dear Jesus" and ends in "Amen".  He talked about how prayer is in the way you live, the way you converse, the way you go about your day.  He used the example of loving his wife and how he doesn't have to tell her every 5 minutes that he's in love with her - he lives in constant love with her.  I thought of that tonight in various conversations where we are talking about what we've been learning, how we've been growing, the things that have "wrecked" us in a good way...and at some point I thought - this is what "living in prayer" is like...glorifying God in your every conversation...and building each other up while doing so. It's a beautiful thing.

One specific conversation tonight brings me to why I started writing this post. That moment when hundreds of conversations, moments and experiences collide.  A friend had just received a phone call with some unexpected news and was in tears.  When I found out why, I empathized with her - having one of those moments where you know exactly how they feel - I mean exactly.  So when I had the chance to steal her for a moment, I shared with her what I had been through - and it led into a really amazing conversation.  It doesn't necessarily make the mutual experience any less difficult, but to be able to look back over what may have seemed like a random moment in life and be able to sit on the couch tonight and share that experience to encourage someone else...just confirms that God is in every detail...even the ones that aren't always the easiest to walk through.  It's a great reminder that I don't always have to understand. It doesn't always have to make sense. I just have to trust that his ways are higher than mine...and keep embracing the journey.