So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Adventure is out there!
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Here I am, sitting at the Gerald R Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, awaiting my flight to Israel. I got here at the right time, after the early morning rush. My flight departs about 10:00 this morning. I didn’t have to wait hardly at all. After frantically finishing packing last night, this morning has been rather relaxed. If all goes as planned, I’ll be in Tel Aviv by 9:30 am tomorrow morning, which is 2:30 am Eastern.
I remember the last time I was going to Israel. I’m not sure what contributed more to me shaking: nervousness or excitement, but both were certainly present. This time, I’m nervous, but not as much. But my difficulty sleeping last night was much more because my excitement. This truly is an opportunity of a lifetime. After years of dreaming of this day, it is finally here.
Last time I went to Israel, I learned the silly phrase, “Shalom, ya’ll!” The Hebrew word shalom is both easy and difficult to translate into English. On the one hand, it simply means “peace”. It is also used as a greeting and a farewell, wishing peace upon someone.
On the other hand, there are nuances to the concept of shalom that are not carried in “peace”. It carries the idea of wholeness and completeness, of being at peace within. Just because two countries have a peace treaty doesn’t mean that their relationship is all fine and dandy. To have shalom goes beyond a lack of war. Probably the most remarkable shalom one can have is in the midst of trouble. That is the peace of God, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the congregation in the city of Philippi in Greece: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Now what? I ask for your prayers as I embark on this adventure, especially that I will learn what God is trying to teach me. I’ve got my ideas of what I want to get out of this, but I don’t want to limit what God can do for me.
Thanks for all the help and assurance many of you have given to me. Thanks to those at work who let me go – I know that isn’t easy and I really appreciate it. Thanks to those of you who prayed over me this past Sunday and Monday. It isn’t easy for me to drop so many parts of my life to do this. My hope and prayer is that when I get back, that I will be better at what I do – whether at work or church or wherever else.
To you who I am leaving behind, I say, “Shalom! Farewell.” I hope to see you in December.
To Israel and those I am going to meet there, I say, “Shalom! Greetings!”