God goes before us.

So I should be in bed, and our plane is supposed to lift off in exactly 11 hours, to the minute, but i'm still awake. It's weird to look around at this place I call "home", the place where I find comfort, and to realize that "home" has so many different definitions. In many ways the mountains are a place where I feel God's presence in incredible ways. But this is home too, the place where my family is, where I took my first steps, graduated high school, found Christ and began my journey with Him. Somehow I feel that I am soon to discover a new "home" in my life.

And the assurance He gave me tonight is this:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

A familiar verse, and one I had not thought to in a long time. God goes before us. He calls us to be people of courage, just as He called Joshua, and I believe that the call to courage, meaning the pursuit of something, without fear, is a call to joy. As we live in the view of eternity, and refuse to let ourselves be held back by fears and troubles, we must choose to live in a constant state of joy. And the beauty of that is that joy is not dependent on circumstances. It is not shaken by anxiety, or tears, or goodbyes, or FEAR, it is UNSHAKEABLE.

So I rest now in the knowledge that God has gone before us in Costa Rica. My heart is at peace and full to overflowing with a joy that surpasses all things- because it comes from the Lord. I am now only excited to see the work He has planned and to faithfully follow, as HE leads...