"Oh, The Places You'll Go!"

As a teacher, I have come to love children's books. Honestly, they are my favorite. A few of my favorite authors write children's books. One of my all time favorites is "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. It has a wonderful message for children and adults. It is a great picture of how life works. It talks of being in slumps and times of waiting. And how you have to keep moving to get past those things. But the thing I love the most is the fact that it encourages its readers to GO.

This has been one of my mantras. I want to go great places and see great things. There are so many places I want to travel to and explore. At times, I feel like there is no way that I will possibly get to all the places I want to go before my time on this earth is finished. And then, just when I am thinking about that place I haven't gone yet, my God steps into the picture. Just like this weekend.

This past Saturday, I was having coffee with a new friend of mine. (Isn't it awesome how God brings people into your life at just the right time?) We were talking about everything under the sun, then we started talking about the missions trips that we are both going on this summer. I am going to Peru, and she is going to New York. As we talked, I told her that I had almost applied for the NY trip, as well. However, I didn't because I was worried about raising the funds for two trips at once. "Lauren, there are people going on three trips! You can do it, if you really want to," she tells me. Long story short, I went for it! Me, the queen of caution, decided to go for it. And I am so glad I did! I have been praying that the Lord will use me in ways He never has, and that is exactly what He is doing. And at the same time, He is also giving me a desire of my heart. I am so glad that I serve a God that can use me for His kingdom, AND wants to give me the desires of my heart at the same time. It's almost as if He is saying to me, "Lauren, 'you're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!'"