Hi ladies. I want to introduce you to, my friend, Jaimie Banks. Jaimie grew up as a missionary kid from the US. She lived in exotic places like Russia and Estonia. Jaimie has a sweet spirit and an amazing sense of humour. She is a servant and lives her life looking for places to go to serve Jesus. I am so pleased to have her share a bit of her journey with Sister Triangle. – Andrea
Dad and Mom used to drive us cross country to spend time with family when the boys and I were little. We’d all take off to see grandparents in Colorado or play with cousins in Texas over summer break. On travel day, often before the sun even thought about coming up, they’d load up the big Chevy Suburban with suitcases and lunch coolers and sleepy kids in pajamas, and we’d all take off for long-long days on the road. Dad and Mom would have those trips figured out — where we’d stop for fuel or food and how long the stops would take. And when we asked where we were or how much longer, they always knew.
One of the things I liked best about those cross country trips — besides travel games, like counting all the horses in Oklahoma — was the big road map they used. It was more than a map, it was a book – a book of all the states in “alphabetical order” (whatever that meant), all crossed over with lines and signs and names of places. And that’s how Dad and Mom knew so much. They’d pull it out the day before we’d go someplace and talk about “highway this” and “such-and-such number to so-and-so place.” It was all a giant code; I loved it.
So that’s how we grew up: watching Dad and Mom talk about going someplace, then pull out that road map, read and decide things, and then take us along for horse-counting and picnicking, and at the end of those long days finding ourselves happily greeted and wrapped up in big hugs — just the beginning of the best days with people we loved.
Looking back I realize what a blessing it was that Dad and Mom didn’t just read the map, they made it real. They read the map, sure, but then they did the hard stuff and actually took the trips — getting up early, packing up, and carrying out all those crazy suitcases and all us crazy kids; they paid the money for gas and groceries, settled arguments in the back seat, answered endless questions, and somehow turned the map into a beautiful (imperfect, but beautiful) reality.
When it comes to life with God, we’re meant for so much more than just to be map-readers. God didn’t just give us His words to figure out like a giant code, however fun it can be to read them that way. If we stop at reading, the journey stays theoretical, two dimensional, and we’re left with the feeling that there’s something we’re missing. (And, let’s be honest… that can make us generally grouchy and dissatisfied, especially when we see others who are going and doing and have something we know we were meant to have.)
The map is meant to be traveled. New life with God is not theoretical. Taking others with us is worth the hard work (we crazy kids learned later to take our own journeys and take others with us.) And, like pulling up in the driveway after a long day on the road and seeing the porch light on, and watching family run out so we could all go in together, at the beginning of those Best Days, everything will be worth it. And, unlike having to leave after spring break or summer vacation, this time we’ll get to stay.
