Columbus Redeemed

For the past 4 years I had determined that Columbus, OH was settled on the mouth of hell. Driving thru the city usually resulted in some mishap, from losing luggage at the Columbus bus terminal, delayed bus trips, and my mom losing her gall bladder. Well, I am thankful and surprised to say that the Lord has redeemed Columbus, and I am the better for it.

The weekend in the "damned" city was supposed to be a simple get together with my parents. But God also allowed me to visit two of my friends the night before, and stay with my roommate's parents for the evening. Driving to all 4 corners of Columbus (literally) gave me a much better perspective of the city, other than the dismal Greyhound bus terminal. Also, the city is arranged like a spokeswheel, which makes it MUCH better to travel than Pittsburgh or Indianapolis. NO ONE WAYS!!! Hallelujah!

However, the best driving experience of the night was getting lost between 3:30-5am.

See, Google maps is awesome, except when you Google the wrong address. In my rush, I found directions to the correct street in the WRONG city (Brixton Drive in COLUMUB instead of HILLIARD). I don't realize that I have the wrong address until AFTER driving UP and DOWN the street 4 times and peering in random houses windows. Literally, peering against the windows to realize, "Nope...not this house". Keep in mind, this is at 4:20 in the morning. I'm surprised I wasn't arrested.

Unwilling to wake up my roommates parents (that's where I was trying to go), I called my friend Stephen in Chicago, who is notorious for staying up late. Well, he wasn't up at this point, but had the grace to wake himself up and be my Onstar for the evening. He guided me street by street from Columbus to Hilliard, which luckily was only 20 mins, but still....what a stellar guy! I arrived at my destination safe and sound and exhausted...it was now 5am. I told Stephen I owed him a dinner. Usually he'd deny it and say God be the glory, but this time he didn't oppose haha.

God also showed his redemptive grace in my conversation with my parents regarding my desire to go to New Zealand. What was most awesome is my dad was the one who brought it up. When mentioning my friend on Campus Crusade staff at OSU, my dad said, "Elise, if you like missions so much, maybe you should do it." This is a 180 turn around from his first comment regarding missions when I became a Christian: "Don't come back wanting to go to the Congo." Of course my mom still has hesitancies, but God gave me the words and the grace to explain my dream (see previous blog), my reasons, and my heart for the Lord's will in my life.

So, yeah. God totally rocked my weekend. Columbus is actually a beautiful city, great roadways, and how nice that everything is about 20 mins from eachother. BUT, my appreciation only goes so far...I'm still a die-hard Michigan fan. Sorry, Buckeyes.

I'll end this blog with promises the Lord reminded me of. Have a blessed day!

Thus says the Lord God of Israel, "Like these good figs, so I will regard as good teh captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and i will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart." - Jeremiah 24: 5-7

"Every day I put hope on the line. I don't know one thing about the future. I don't know what the next hour will hold. There may be sickness, accident, personal or world catastrophe. Before this day is over, I may have to deal with death, pain, loss, rejection. I don't know what the future holds for me, for those I love, for my nation, for this world. Still, despite my ignorance and surrounded by tinny optimists and cowardly pessimists, I say that God will accomplish his will, and I cheerfully persist in living in the hope that nothing will seperate me from Christ's love." - Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction