Now we are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's breathtaking. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting at a picnic table at our KOA campsite which provides wi-fi. It's a beautiful morning. To update you, we went from Port Arthur, Texas (which I last blogged about) to Katy, Texas to visit cousins to Austin, Texas to visit another cousin. We loved Austin! Next, we headed to Carlsbad, New Mexico. New Mexico is like a whole other world. Having never been to the Southwest, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was flat and dry with interesting colors from the terrain, and there was nothing for miles and miles. We camped at Brantley Lake State Park and arrived after dark, so we put up the tent via Wendy's (my car) headlights. After the tent was up, we saw a tarantula roaming around near the car. There were lizards (fast ones) everywhere, and we also saw a jack rabbit. Gabrielle saw a snake. I'm pretty glad I didn't. We loved camping at Brantley because it was so peaceful and away from everything so much that you could see the stars so well. We took the rain fly off of the top of our tent and slept so that we could look up at the stars. It was beautiful. The following day we headed to Carlsbad Caverns. We did a self-guided tour for $6.
They were absolutely amazing and so huge! On the way there, we had seen so many acres of burnt, barren, thirsty land, and it was such a contrast to be out of the 108 degree heat into this cool and peaceful refuge. God showed me some pretty cool things while I was down there (750 feet below ground). Just the contrast between the surface and the caverns was a lesson in and of itself--it reminded me of God's Kingdom. So often, we just wander through our desert life burnt and thirsty, dry and in need of refuge from the scorching sun, and all the while, we're oblivious to His Kingdom that lingers below the surface of the life that we see. If we would only dig deeper and adopt a Kingdom mindset, we would find refuge in His secret place. Carlsbad Caverns is a perfect representation of God's secret place. It was interesting to watch other people interact with the caves--many just wanted to filter on through quickly, snapping pictures here and there and testing out their echo. Sometimes, people filter into the presence of God, relying on someone else's level of intimacy (often the worship leader) and are content to take their snapshots or collect their quick stories to be able to tell others that they've been there. Few actually chose to dwell in the secret place of God. I kind of think of God's Kingdom as those movies about superheroes from the comic books--you have to stay after the credits, after everyone else leaves, to see the future secret of what the next movie will be like. I feel like it's that way with God as well. When you're in the secret place, close to God's heart, I believe your prayers echo all over heaven just like our voices echoed all over those caves. It's impossible not to realize one's smallness in relation to God in a place like Carlsbad.
One last lesson of Carlsbad was just the power that one tiny yet persistent water droplet can have. I often struggle with the thought (especially as I am preparing to move) that I am only one person. I feel so overwhelmed wondering how it is that I'm ever going to be able to help someone else in Honduras or carry the burden of need that is always present. But, every so often, God reminds me of the power of water droplets--that erode away stone, that make beautiful cave formations, that carve out whole cavern rooms. I may be one person, but in His secret place, when He gives me the power to be persistent, I can leave a mark of His presence.
Meanwhile, Colorado is absolutely amazing. We constantly feel so blessed and thankful to be in every place that we are. I still can't fathom that God has allowed me to take this trip and has provided every step of the way. We are having a wonderful adventure with our Father. Gabrielle and I joke that it's like our honeymoon with God. He just blesses us all the time.
Lots of love,
Sarah
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