Through The Fog

Dear Surrey Two,

As I was on my way to school this morning, I slowed down from my usual drive-as-fast-as-I-can-because-I'm-totally-going-to-be-late-and-have-to-pay-five-bucks-for-parking-instead-of-parking-for-free-across-the-street speed so to take in my surroundings. Though I often claim to dislike this season the most, I have never seen a more beautiful winter in play on the streets of Surrey. I couldn't help but smile to myself over the wonders of His works. The way the snow delicately blanketed my familiar streets made me want to stop the car and walk the rest of the way. But as I began to descend down the hill of 152nd Street, a mixture of rain and dirt from the truck before me splashed onto my windshield, leaving me momentarily stunned. After quickly turning on my wipers, my eyes readjusted to a different vision: fog. I was in shock; I couldn't believe that the scintillating sun had suddenly turned into this mess of gray. I checked my rear-view mirror in disbelief only to find more fog. Fog in front of me, fog behind me, fog to the left, to the right...everywhere. And just like the sunshine, my smile had been stripped too.

Fog can be a beautiful thing, but it's hard to recognize that when it comes immediately after a glorious period of sunshine. Though I wanted to turn around and drive back to the sun, I knew it'd be foolish to do so. Class was to start soon, so I had to keep driving towards school. Sighing, I looked around me a little harder and began to realize that despite the gray, most things still looked the same: the trees, hills, and houses were still enveloped in a mystical white. Though the sky had altered, the world was ultimately still beautiful. Eventually, I found myself in clear blue again and the only fog I could see was behind me.

Now, why am I sharing this story? After paying for parking, I walked to my classroom to find a cancellation note on the door. When I woke up this morning, I knew I should have checked my email for updates on class, but I didn't, thus having to drive all the way to school for no reason. But when that last thought hit me on the way home, I began to feel as though maybe the sole reason for my "pointless" drive was so the Lord could intrigue me with the journey. In fact, on my way home, I was able to notice that the sunshine was still present above the fog cloud before I entered it. Earlier I felt sad because I thought I was missing out on something beautiful, but little did I know it was still there.

In many ways the Lord is consistently calling me to move forward. And so that, I will do.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12 NRSV)