9 years. no church.
(well, that's slightly inaccurate.)
9 years of occasional church searching.
trying to find that right fit.
and thick anxiety.
anxiety that hits you like a flood,
the moment you park the car,
and step towards the church. any church.
and after the flood hits,
the skin begins to tingle and crawl,
like thousands of cockroaches
using your bones as a racetrack.
and then everything else is a blur.
the problem is,
even though i make it into the building,
i've ultimately left myself in the parking lot.
parking lots don't judge you.
parking lots don't condemn you.
the sad thing is, i'd rather risk
getting hit by a car in a lot,
than being destroyed in a sanctuary.
...
i didn't want to go.
plain and simple.
but i went.
i went for her and the kids.
there was a christmas eve candle service.
and don't get me wrong:
i love candles;
but i'm terrified of
the people that hold them.
same story:
thick anxiety. barely made it in the door.
and then... i did.
the music started.
christmas carols. very fitting.
and then the candles:
a room set ablaze by flames of hope.
after all, christmas doesn't exist
without the light.
and then we sang the line:
"the weary world rejoices".
and there was calm.
and the anxiety was gone.
and i gazed around the room.
and everything was so
familiar.
like home.
i was home.
9 years earlier,
we left.
we didn't pack our bags.
we didn't give 2 weeks notice.
we just slowly slipped
and faded away.
why is it when you stop searching
for your heart's desires,
when your guard is truly down,
and you aren't expecting a damn thing,
that's when they find you?
i guess it doesn't really matter.
i'm home now.
and there's a lot of catching up to do.