Thursday, September 6, 2012

Childish hopes

"All the thrill of boyhood dreams came on me just now, watching the sky die in the sea on every side. I wanted to sail when I was in grammar school....Now I am actually at sea--as a passenger, of course, but at sea nevertheless--and bound for Ecuador. Strange--or is it?--that childish hopes should be answered in the will of God for this [mission] now?"
-Jim Elliot

Strange--or is it?-- that childish hopes should be answered in the will of God.

When I was young, I dreamed of being a pioneer-- wearing long skirts, cooking on a wood stove, growing food and harvesting it, making my own clothing. I played at these things for hours, read books about them, dressed up accordingly for Halloween. And here I am now, long skirts, cooking on a wood stove (actually several wood stoves, since we're cooking for about 70 people), eating food that we've grown here on the base, washing my laundry by hand in a tub of water and pulling it in off the line before the afternoon downpours get to it. I love it just as much as I thought I would.