Permanent addresses.

I've been filling out a lot of forms lately. And they all ask for a permanent address.

Well, I don't have one.

I usually put my parent's address, but I've actually spent far less time there in the past 4 years than I have anywhere else. My school address changed every year. One summer my address was in Switzerland, another summer it was in St. Louis. This summer, St. Louis again. In a few months it will be Thailand. And then...who knows?

I'm somewhat of a routine person -- Type A, you know? I like having some sort of idea where life is going, where I'll be at, and what I'll be doing. I tend to like stability, permanence, control. Although this kind of predictability makes life slightly more boring, it also usually makes it easier. Unfortunately, I've realized that's not at all how God works. He's not predictable or easy or boring. And because of that, as my good friend Oswald Chambers says, the nature of our spiritual lives is that we will always be uncertain of the next step, while always being certain of God. (Maybe he's the only one who gets to be Type A.)

So in these years of being in constant flux, of never knowing just where I'm going, I'm learning the beauty of uncertainty and the necessity of trust. And in that, I'm learning a lot about grace. Because although I'd like to think I have this "life" thing figured out (right, mom and dad?), I really know far less than I think I do. Grace is the mantra these days.

And I've decided that permanent addresses are overrated. Just send me an email.