There is Joy Here Too

I stepped out of my house, I said my goodbyes, took a deep breath of North Dakotan air, and went on my way. One twenty-four-hour drive later I had arrived in D.C., a city that contains 683,445 more people than what I was accustomed to. I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, but something was different. The air was so humid I had to chew it before I could breathe it in. This would be just one of the many things I had to adapt to in this city. 

It was during my first week in D.C. when the culture shock fully set in. The smell of the air stung my nose. Homeless people sitting on the streets with nothing but a cup. The siren of an emergency vehicle was almost constantly sounding. I had been to D.C. once before, but now this was my home. The thought made me tremble. I had grown accustomed to my Shire that was Dickinson, ND, and I felt small among the towering concrete structures. That night I looked for the stars to comfort me, but the city lights stole them. I had come to seminary expecting nothing but joy, yet I found none. I longed and prayed for a taste of home, but God said, “I have some things I want to show you first.” The next week, I was walking to the Basilica and saw a father with his three children sitting on the lawn. He was blowing bubbles and his three kids smiled and screamed in delight. I could not help but laugh along with them and God said, “See, there is joy here, too.”

Next, He took me to a Washington Nationals game. I do not enjoy baseball, but this experience changed my mind. As I sat in the stadium, which held more than twice the population of my hometown, I was swept into the excitement of the game. I found myself cheering with the multitudes over some guy hitting a three-inch sphere with a stick. I left the game feeling like I was part of something bigger. The Nationals changed from just a team to my team, and in turn, D.C. became my city.

I had doubted whether or not happiness would come here in Washington, but it did. Then, God reminded me of where he would eventually send me back. One morning, He gifted me a simple, cool breeze. As I felt this familiar breeze for the first time in a long while, I was transported back to my hometown. I was once again standing on top of a hill that I had stood on so many times before. It is there that the wind never ceases, and it coolly brushes against my face. It runs through my hair, feels every strand, picks it up, examines it, and leaves to make way for the next gust. It tumbles and smooths out the golden sea of wheat that lies ahead. The golden staffs’ gentle sway brushed against my fingers, clearing all worry and strife. I can see for miles. The land softly rises and falls like the gentlest of tides. With that breeze, God reminded me of home. I will forever look forward to the day when He sends me back to where the stars comfort me, and the fields are made of gold, but as long as God wants me in D.C., I know there will be joy here too.

To read the previous post-- Mary's Birthday Hike--please click here.