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[Written December 26, 2022]

“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” – Hebrews 13:14.

As a student of History, my whole heart longs to look upon wonderful remnants of the past in all places. I am compelled to touch, walk, and gaze at pieces of what was to better understand the present world, the Lord Himself, and my own place and purpose within His grand narrative. It’s humbling to think that not even Jerusalem, which has itself endured for thousands of years and is literally multilayered with contextual variance, will endure forever. The ruins in various parts of the city communicate that time is continuous and the only eternal city which can overcome physical decay is the Kingdom of God— 

Christ in us. 

As much as I am inclined to cling to reminders of the past that have endured to this day, this verse challenges me to be a student of the Word of God first, and a student of History second, because the only truly enduring remnant of the past — the Bible — is synonymously the eternal hope for the future through Jesus. 

In the meantime, while I am blessed to live in a world that still reflects the past, I will happily play in it, but choose not cling to it, which is much less burdensome. 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” – Matthew 24:35.

One of my favourite memories from Israel was when Lisa and I finished our day at the Sea of Galilee and Capernaum and needed to find our way back to the bus station in Tiberias.

Capernaum isn’t a modern city but an archaeological site, so it’s fairly quiet and difficult to find transportation. Being the stubbornly independent person I am (working on it), I figured we’d just call an Uber but no ride was available so far from Tiberias. So Lisa, who is much wiser and better at asking for help, asked a French couple who was just leaving Capernaum if they could drive us to the bus station. To my surprise, they said yes!

We found out that they also were followers of Jesus and the husband was a retired chaplin in the French army. We had so much fun driving around the parameter of the Sea of Galilee together, seeing much more of that area than Lisa and I thought we would and talking about God and His goodness in all our lives.

When they dropped us off, we prayed together and Lisa and I made our bus to Jerusalem with time to spare! I love how God isn’t just faithful in getting us to where we need to go, He is creative and kind, placing the saints everywhere to be a blessing to one another.

In fact, earlier that day, as Lisa and I were trying to find Capernaum, God placed a park ranger in our midst who offered to drive us in his ATV to the site, which otherwise would have been an hour’s walk. This day taught me that when we step out in faith, God is so GOOD to give us who we need to further our path, blessing each of us involved in the process.